


A Life Worth Living

by VanillaBean (FlavoredButtercream)



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Ghosts, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Biting, Blindshipping, Blood Drinking, Blood and Gore, Ghost Yugi, M/M, Minor Character Death, Non-Consensual Blood Drinking, One Night Stands, Puzzleshipping, Roseshipping but it's so minor I don't feel it should go into relationships, Slow Burn, Stabbing, Temporary Character Death, Vampire Atem (Yu-Gi-Oh), Vampire Kaiba Seto, Vampire Mokuba, everyone else is human (so far), everyone is also somewhere on the queer spectrum because I can, it's not sex heavy and you can skip the sex scenes but there is sex, the major character death is because I talk about how one character dies in later chapters, the non-con warning counts to one chapter that I'll definitely warn you about
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-15 12:47:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 24,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29559315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlavoredButtercream/pseuds/VanillaBean
Summary: Atem is on the run. Has been for years. It seems no matter where he goes, he can't seem to settle. After deciding to start over again, Atem ends up in the small, quiet village of Domino in Japan. His life, however, is going to be anything but quiet, especially having a new roommate he never consented to. It's not that Yugi is disruptive, but Atem very much wanted to be alone. The sooner he helps the ghost move on, the better.At least, that's what he thinks.
Relationships: Atem/Mutou Yuugi
Comments: 30
Kudos: 26





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Welcome to my first fic in a long time. I'm sure this idea has been done already, but I'm hoping mine is original enough to set it apart. There wasn't a Ghost Yugi tag yet so I have my fingers crossed, haha! I've also got a good head start on writing this story, and I hope to update it every Friday. I'm five chapters ahead, which should give me a good cushion if I get lazy or stuck.
> 
> I want to warn you one more time before you start reading that this fic is marked Mature for a reason. Please heed the warnings! If you choose to read anyway, I will always warn you of any sensitive content in that chapter.
> 
> Sensitive content for this chapter includes the following: blood drinking, mild torture (more like questionable parenting styles and child stubbornness), non-consensual blood drinking, discussions about eating animals, and a character purposefully starving themselves because of their morals

If there was one thing Atem hated about modern-day society, it was airplanes. He didn’t know if it was because of the claustrophobia, the fact that they jammed so many humans into an inescapable space, the random shaking of the plane as it experienced turbulence, or that one wrong move could make the entire metal aircraft end up as a deadly accident in the news. He didn’t care, honestly. All he knew was right now he’d rather be pinned down with a stake through his stomach than be up in the air.

The pilot announced they were descending. Atem let out a sigh of relief. All he had to do was wait for the plane to land on the ground and he'd be free. He eyed the white clouds outside the window. Thankfully, it was raining, so he wouldn’t have to worry about the sun too much. Of course, in Japan right now it was almost sundown so he wouldn't have to worry about the sun anyway, but the thought was comforting.

The plane bounced and halted on the runway, and Atem waited for most of the aircraft to empty before exiting his seat. He always traveled light, so he picked up the duffel bag in the carry-on area and headed toward the exit. His eyes kept a lookout for anyone with a sign and his name on it. He never knew where Isono was, but they always managed to find each other somehow. Isono was gifted in tracking, after all, and-

“I expect your flight went well,” came a familiar voice behind him. “I’m here to take you to Kaiba’s Estate.”

“As always,” Atem said. He slung his bag over his shoulder and turned. “It’s good to see you again, Isono.”

While the man didn’t smile, Atem could feel the fondness radiating through Isono’s sunglasses. The two of them exited the airport and entered the limousine that would take them to their destination. Atem stared out the window and watched the sights of modern Japan fly past. It always amazed him how fast humans could progress with technology. The city of Tokyo looked breathtaking at night. Soon the lights of the city faded, and they traveled into the quiet darkness of back roads.

It didn’t take long for the limo to pull up in front of an iron gate. The gate opened, and the car drove up the pathway toward a large white fountain. The mansion behind it rose from the ground, a silent beacon for its owner’s power.  After the car came to a halt, the driver opened Atem's door for him, and he stepped out. The rain pelted the umbrella above his head. He took it from Isono’s hand and headed toward the front doors of the mansion. Isono pressed a buzzer beside the door.

“Master Kaiba, Atem has arrived.”

“Enter,” came the reply from the box.

The front doors opened. The smell of sandalwood welcomed Atem into the home. He removed his shoes and placed them by the door, allowing Isono to fold the umbrella outside without getting the tile wet.  The sound of feet padding down the stairs turned Atem’s head. He barely had enough time to steady himself as a ball of black hair bolted into his stomach, and lanky arms wrapped around his middle.

“Atem, you’re back!”

A fond smile crossed Atem’s face as he stroked the black hair below him. “It’s good to see you too, Mokuba.”

The young boy, Mokuba, looked up at Atem with sparkling eyes. His smile soon disappeared as he said, “Is everything okay? You seem upset.”

Atem ruffled Mokuba’s hair, leading Mokuba to laugh and push Atem’s hand away. He answered, “I’m fine. I need to speak to your brother.”

“Are you moving again?” Mokuba asked. His eyes lit up. “Do you think you could live in Japan this time? I miss you.”

Atem sighed and thought for a moment. “I’ll consider it.”

Mokuba’s smile beamed up at him. Atem watched him scamper off and climb the stairs. Mokuba paused halfway up, waiting for Atem to join him. Atem shrugged off his jacket and handed it to Isono, who hung it up in the closet, and followed the young vampire.  The two traveled down a few long hallways until they stopped at a set of double mahogany doors. Mokuba knocked twice before he heard a voice on the other side.

“Come in.”

Atem’s body stiffened. No matter how long it was, hearing his cousin's voice so close to him always brought great joy, but it also brought great anticipation. Living alone for so long for hundreds of years would do that to a person, he supposed.

The doors opened, revealing hardwood floors, gentle flute music, the smell of burning incense, and warmth. A table surrounded by three couches stood in the middle of the room. On the middle couch sat a tall figure with one leg casually thrown over the other as his arms crossed over his chest. The hard expression he wore melted to something tender. His eyes went between both Mokuba and Atem, not sure which to focus on first.

“Good evening, Seto,” Atem greeted. 

“Back so soon, Atem? I thought for sure you’d stay settled for at least a year,” Seto said, his voice stern. Judging by the playful smirk, however, he wasn’t as irritated as he sounded.  Atem crossed the floor and sat down on the couch to Seto’s left. He kept his knees together and folded his hands in his lap. Seto’s grin slipped away the longer Atem stayed silent. Mokuba sat beside Seto, burying his head into Seto's shoulder.  Seto prodded, “Did something happen?”

Atem shook his head. He replied at last, “I didn’t like the weather.”

“The weather?” Seto said with a disbelieving laugh. “I thought for sure you’d appreciate a warmer climate.”

“It reminded me too much of home.”

That brought a frown to Seto’s lips. He stared down at his crossed knee and sighed through his nose. “I see.”

“I thought I’d enjoy it too,” Atem continued, “but apparently we were both wrong. It brought back… too many memories.”

Seto nodded his head. “You don’t have to explain to me.”

A thankful smile crossed Atem’s lips. He observed the table in front of them. Warm, red liquid sat inside a wine glass. Atem picked it up and sniffed. His eyes lit up as the smell coursed through his body.

“Freshly spilled this morning,” Seto informed him. “I know it’s not the same as getting it straight from the source, but this was short notice.”

“Of course,” Atem replied. He brought the liquid to his lips and took a gentle sip. His eyes blossomed red on contact.  Mokuba shifted uncomfortably in the seat next to Seto, his eyes focused on the swallowing of Atem’s throat. Atem noticed, and he raised a brow. He asked,  “Something wrong?”

Realizing he was caught, Mokuba stiffed and looked away. He mumbled, “No, it’s nothing.”

Seto glanced at Mokuba out of the corner of his eye. He waited a moment before he explained, “He’s still going through the human instinct phase.”

Mokuba’s eyes widened in horror when Atem laughed. He clenched his teeth. After swallowing down his embarrassment, he responded, “I just… don’t think it’s right. I was… they're just…"

Atem sighed and set his glass on the table, a knowing look in his eye. “I understand, Mokuba. Forgive me for laughing.”

Mokuba still stared down at his knees and avoided Atem’s gaze. He stood, excused himself, and walked out of the room. Atem opened his mouth to call out to him, but Seto beat him to it.

“Don’t worry, Mokuba. You’ll get over it soon. We all did.”

Mokuba turned around at Seto’s words, and his eyes settled on Atem. The latter nodded. Mokuba’s smile returned for a fraction of a second, and he opened the door to the room.

“Good night, Seto. Good night, Atem. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Good night, Mokuba,” both said at the same time.

Mokuba slipped through the door. It latched, leaving the two older vampires in the room with nothing but the gentle flute music to keep the silence at bay. Atem looked once again at the wine glass in front of him, his lip prints still stuck to the side as a trail of red dribbled down the glass and back into the pool below.

Seto sighed and picked up his own glass. He spoke to it, “He’ll get there.”

“He’s still young,” Atem replied.

“True. I forgot what it was like to be freshly turned. It’s been so long.”

“Thankfully, he has you to help him through it.”

A genuine rare smile crossed Seto’s lips, and he swirled the liquid in his glass. After contemplating a moment, he rose it to his lips to take a drink. Like Atem, his eyes changed to a soft crimson color. 

“How many years has it been now?” Atem asked. “Twenty?”

“About that,” Seto replied. He shivered as a memory took hold of his mind. 

“Does he still get nightmares?”

“Not as strong as before. Maybe every month or so. Hopefully, he’ll forget all about the incident soon, or at least be less upset by it.”

Atem nodded his head. He continued to watch his half-finished meal drip down the inside of the glass. “I’m not sure exactly where I’d like to settle this time.”

Seto, thankful for the change in subject, replied, “Well, wherever it is, try not to make it too expensive. Five homes in ten years is a lot of money, you know, especially when they’re all in different countries.”

“It’s my money.”

“Was your money,” Seto corrected. “A lot of the money I use now is purely KaibaCorp profit.”

“Of course it is.”

“Are you calling me a liar?”

“Of course not,” Atem smirked, and Seto’s annoyed grimace made him snicker. His mirth died away as he continued, “I do appreciate you helping me through this every time, though. We all do.”

Seto’s sigh answered Atem. He placed his glass on the table in front of him and folded his hands on his lap. “So I’ve heard.”

“Have you heard anything recently from the others?”

Seto shook his head. “The last I heard of Marik and Ishizu, they were headed toward Morocco, and Bakura is backpacking somewhere in Europe, or at least, that’s what I heard.”

“And Kisara?” Atem asked. When Seto didn’t answer, he apologized.

“No need,” Seto replied. “We agreed long ago it was for the best if we didn’t speak to each other for a while. It can’t be helped.”

Atem nodded his head. He sighed through his nose and decided to change the subject yet again. “Mokuba suggested I stay somewhere in Japan.”

“I can arrange that. There’s plenty of blood brothels in the city for you to-”

“No, not the city,” Atem interrupted. “Somewhere far away. I’m tired of being so close to all these humans, and I was hoping for something a bit more private.”

Seto studied him for a moment. “Any particular reason?”

“I’m bored of modern times is all,” Atem replied. “I want something more simple. Maybe a place with a forest or a small village to call home. Somewhere I can be at peace.”

Seto studied Atem for a while. After Atem didn’t continue, Seto ran a hand through his hair and mumbled under his breath, “I’m sure I could find something.”

“Thank you,” Atem said, a genuine smile crossing his lips.

“Are you sure nothing happened?” Seto asked.

Atem looked up and caught Seto’s eyes. He cursed his cousin’s perceptive nature. Still, Atem continued to play dumb and shook his head. “No, everything’s fine.”

“You aren’t lying to me, are you?”

“Of course not. Why would I?”

Seto continued to watch Atem for any sign he was lying, but the other wasn’t budging. Begrudgingly, Seto mumbled, “I worry about you is all.”

“You shouldn’t,” Atem responded. He sighed and stood. “I hope you don’t mind if I retire early for the night. I’m sure you want to get to work and get me out of your hair as soon as possible.”

“Of course. You must be exhausted,” Seto replied. He stood with his glass in hand and walked over to the mahogany door at the end of the room. “I trust you remember where your room is.”

Atem nodded. Seto opened the door and allowed Atem to leave. Seto’s eyes, however, didn’t leave Atem’s body. It sent a warning shiver down Atem’s spine.

Seto knew something was wrong, and he was going to figure it out whether Atem gave the information willingly or not.

* * *

The next morning, Atem woke to someone pounding on his door. He blinked his eyes open and grumbled as he sat up. The clock showed 7 am, meaning he was only asleep for roughly four hours. He lowered his legs on the side of the bed and walked toward the door, the pounding becoming more insistent.

“I’m coming,” Atem grumbled. He steeled his face, hoping whoever interrupted his sleep had a good reason, and opened the door.

The sight of Mokuba in tears below him softened his heart in an instant. Atem opened his arms wide, and the young boy crashed into him. He buried his face into Atem’s chest. Atem stroked his hair. Why hadn’t Mokuba gone to Seto for comfort?

“Is everything alright?” Atem asked.

“I-I-” Mokuba hiccuped- “Nightmare.”

Atem’s jaw locked. He led Mokuba inside the room and shut the door. The two of them sat on the edge of his bed, and Atem handed Mokuba a tissue.

“While I’m flattered, why didn’t you go to Seto?” Atem asked.

Mokuba hesitated before he responded, “I needed to see you.”

“Why?”

“I- I don’t want to- I just-”

“Okay, I understand,” Atem said, fully not understanding but allowing Mokuba the privacy to come to terms with his feelings on his own. Mokuba nuzzled into Atem’s side, and Atem wrapped an arm around Mokuba’s shoulders.

Mokuba sighed and looked up at Atem with reddened eyes. “Promise me you’re staying in Japan.”

“I am,” Atem answered. “I’ve arranged for Kaiba to find a small village for me to stay-”

“I mean for a long time. At least five years.”

“Five years?” Atem tried to keep his voice even. “Mokuba, that’s a long time to-”

“Please. I need you to promise me.”

Atem sighed. He hadn’t stayed anywhere for five years in… well years. Being a vampire meant moving around to avoid suspicion when you didn’t age, as well as accidentally being revealed as a vampire to humans or monster hunters finding out your location. The only reason Seto was able to stay in Japan for so long was that his company made sure he was invisible to the modern world. Atem hadn't had that luxury for years. Still, looking down at Mokuba's hopeful eyes, Atem couldn't exactly tell him that. Mokuba would ask him to stay with them in this house, and that was one thing Atem couldn't do, for pride more than anything.

“I-” Atem answered at long last- “I can’t promise it will be five years, but I can do my best.”

The answer didn’t seem to pacify Mokuba completely, but he nodded his head in understanding. He allowed his eyes to slip closed, causing two small tears to fall onto his cheeks, and took a deep breath.

“Okay,” Mokuba mumbled. “Thank you, Atem.”

Atem nodded his head. He allowed Mokuba to calm himself before nudging the young boy off his shoulder. Mokuba wiped his eyes before he stood.  Atem hesitated before he said, “Mokuba, whenever you feel comfortable sharing your dream with me, I’m happy to listen.”

Mokuba nodded. He excused himself from Atem’s room and wished him another good night. Atem, however, knew he wasn’t going back to sleep anytime soon after that outburst. As far as he knew, Mokuba didn’t have the power to see into the future. Mokuba was gifted in empathy. However, that still didn’t mean he couldn’t read vibes in the atmosphere.  Atem’s mind went back to how Mokuba sensed his unease upon arrival. Seto sensed it too. Atem knew what he was hiding would soon come to light whether he wanted it to or not, but he still refused to speak it out loud. If he spoke it out loud, it would be more true somehow.

Atem sighed. The sooner he moved to a smaller town, the better. Hopefully, it was somewhere no one would be able to find him this time.

* * *

A week passed, and Atem still resided in Seto’s home. He spent most of his time with Mokuba, teaching the young vampire how to suppress his human instincts. Mokuba, however, didn’t seem that interested in losing that part of himself yet. Atem sighed. While he didn’t want to rush Mokuba, falling victim to the human’s sense of right and wrong could easily get a vampire killed, or worse, have them attack some random stranger because they starved themselves into hysteria.

When Atem wasn’t aiding Mokuba, he was brushing up on learning to read the Japanese language. He knew enough to get him by, but it never hurt to refresh his memory. He found himself picking back up on it rather quickly, especially with Mokuba tutoring him. Of course, he was no expert, and there were certain kanji that he had trouble remembering, but for the most part, he was confident he could at least read a little to pass the time.

At the moment, the two of them were locked in a game of chess. Atem watched Mokuba move a piece, and he shook his head. Mokuba noticed the movement and moved the piece back. Atem chuckled.

“What?” Mokuba snapped. He mumbled, “No matter where I move, you’re going to win.”

“Of course. I told you challenging me was pointless.”

“Because you cheat.”

“I don’t cheat. I’m merely gifted in probability.”

The answer seemed to annoy Mokuba further, which brought a snicker to Atem’s lips. Mokuba moved, and Atem finished the game. After a moment of silence, Mokuba’s stomach growled rather loudly. Atem studied the young boy’s expression. It seemed to distress Mokuba more than embarrass him.

“When was the last time you fed?” Atem asked.

Mokuba stared down at his feet and mumbled, “Uh, maybe a day or two… or three.”

“Mokuba.”

“Don’t tell Seto.”

Atem sighed. “I won’t. I just ask you to be cautious. It’s easy to-”

“I know, I know, but I won’t lose control.”

“That’s exactly what I said too.” Mokuba looked up and caught Atem’s knowing gaze, and he looked back down at the floor. Atem raised a brow and continued, “Is it really that bad to feed yourself?”

“It is when you’re stealing from someone else.”

“Who said it had to be stolen?”

"N-nobody, but I don't like feeding on humans. It still feels wrong."

"What about animals?" 

"Animals aren't an option."

"Says who?" 

“Seto. He said that an animal diet wouldn’t keep me full and healthy.”

“He’s correct, but he also forgets that feeding off animals helps a younger vampire transition from their human instincts easier. I can remind him if you wish.”

Mokuba opened his mouth to answer, but a knock on Atem’s door interrupted him. Atem turned his head, and Mokuba stood to open the door, revealing Isono on the other side.

“Master Kaiba wishes to see you,” he announced.

Atem stood and caught Mokuba’s eye. After patting the boy on the shoulder, Atem followed Isono out of the room and down the hall. Mokuba followed right behind him. It took forever and no time at all to get to Seto’s quarters once again.  Isono opened the door and allowed Atem and Mokuba to enter. Seto sat in the same position as he’d done so a week ago. A laptop rested on the table, as well as three glasses of blood. Atem felt Mokuba shift uncomfortably beside him. He stepped inside and took his seat to Seto's left while Mokuba sat on his right and as far away from the blood as he could. 

“I found somewhere you might enjoy,” Seto said. He twisted the computer to show Atem a map. A red dot pointed to a town name. “It’s a small village called Domino, and it’s located a few kilometers from here. It’s also close to the ocean, so a lot of tourists go there to enjoy the beach, but otherwise, nothing really important goes on there.”

“It looks perfect,” Atem said. The answer seemed to perk Mokuba up a bit. He continued, “Where will I be staying?”

Seto zoomed in on a house on the outskirts of the village. He said, “It’s nothing fancy, but it should work for you.”

Atem studied the house. It looked to be a safe distance away from the other houses, but he couldn’t be sure until he visited the house itself. Still, with it being a short distance from Seto and Mokuba’s house, he could keep his promise to not live far while still staying a safe distance away from humans.

“I’m taking your silence means you like it?” Seto teased.

Atem looked up at him, and a small smile crossed his face. “When can I move in?”

“As soon as you want. The house has been empty for about two years now. The previous owner died of a heart attack, and no one lived the house since.”

“That’s a shame,” Atem mumbled. The mention of fragile human life made Mokuba curl in on himself, but Seto seemed oblivious to it at the moment. Atem continued, “I’m sure you want me out of your hair as soon as possible, so I’ll gather my things and head out there tonight.

“So soon?” Mokuba asked. 

Atem nodded his head. “I’ve impeded on Seto’s hospitality long enough.”

Seto didn’t seem ready to argue. He closed his laptop and asked, “Do you need help moving anything?”

“Do I ever?” Atem asked. Seto nodded his head and stood, taking the computer with him. Mokuba looked between the two of them. Atem continued, “However, I would like to speak to you about Mokuba’s diet before I go.”

“I told you before, Atem, I can handle it.”

The cold voice would send shivers down anyone’s spine, but thankfully Atem was too used to it to be affected. Atem narrowed his eyes, fully ready to argue back. “At least consider an animal diet.”

“I won’t have my family sucking on rabbits when there are willing humans he can sink his teeth into.”

“But the transition period is-”

“Enough!” Seto turned to Atem, his nose wrinkled and teeth bared. Atem felt his own teeth twitch to life, and a hiss escaped his throat. Seto added coldly, “You sound just like her.”

“Maybe that’s because she had a point,” Atem snapped back. “And if you swallowed your pride every once in and while, you’d realize other people are trying to help you, not insult you.”

“I don’t need your help. I’ve survived all this time without someone by my side, and I don’t plan on changing that anytime soon.”

Mokuba glanced between the two of them and rose to his feet. He said, “Don’t be mad at him, Seto. I asked him to say something.”

The interruption shocked both arguing parties. Seto’s eyes studied Mokuba. Mokuba swallowed hard and balled his hands into fists. He opened his mouth to continue, but his stomach growled loudly and ached, making him fold his arms over his abdomen and collapse into the couch. Atem blinked, and Seto was at Mokuba’s side, a hand on Mokuba’s back and concern replacing any anger he had prior. It took a moment for Mokuba to get his composure back. He eyed the glass of blood in front of him and swallowed hard.

“How long has it been since you fed?” Seto asked.

Mokuba either didn’t have the strength to answer or didn’t want to. His pupils swallowed his gray eyes, turning them pitch black. He reached out to the glass with shaky hands, but his hand stopped inches from the cup. Seto watched as Atem’s eyes widened in horror.

“Seto, he's-”

“Quiet, Atem. I told you I was handling it.”

“By torturing him?”

“I’m not torturing him. I’m teaching him. There’s a difference.”

Atem rose to his feet, his fangs fully bared. Seto’s stare met his. Atem wanted to lash out and tear Seto’s throat open. How could he? How could he subject Mokuba to starving himself until his mind ignored his human instinct? Didn’t he realize how dangerous and cruel this was?

“There are better ways,” Atem hissed through his teeth.

"I've tried, but he's still resisting. He needs to know what happens if he waits too long. He needs to feel what it's like to lose control. His stubbornness is going to get someone killed, most likely himself. The sooner he realizes that, the better." The longer he spoke, the more Seto's anger slipped away. He sighed, a tired expression overtaking him. He slid the glass into Mokuba’s hands, waiting for Mokuba’s fingers to curl around it. He turned his attention to Mokuba and spoke in a soft voice, “Please, Mokuba, drink.”

At last, Mokuba picked the glass up and tipped it. Blood dribbled down the side of his face, his mouth unable to feed himself at the rate his body wanted. Atem turned his head away at the sight. Eventually, he heard the glass clink on the table as Mokuba inhaled sharply. It turned Atem’s attention back to the pair. Seto rubbed Mokuba’s back in soothing circles.

Seto said, his voice calm and soothing, "Thank you, Mokuba. I'm proud of you.”

Mokuba wiped the blood and tears off his face, and he wrapped his arms around Seto’s middle. Seto held him back and kissed the top of his head. Mokuba buried his face into Seto’s shirt. For a moment, the two of them sat together as Mokuba calmed himself. Seto caught Atem’s eyes. Atem’s body stood rigid, his eyes still wide in fierce horror, and his nails dug into his balled fists. 

Seto sighed and shook his head. He said, “This is for his own good. The sooner he breaks himself of the human instinct, the easier it’ll be for him to accept what he is.”

“Perhaps,” Atem answered, “but I wish you still had some humanity left to know how wrong this is.”

Seto’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t comment further. He growled, “Don’t you have somewhere else to be?”

Atem studied Mokuba under Seto’s hold. Mokuba peeked out from his brother’s chest, a dazed look on his face. Atem knew the look all too well. Mokuba gave in to his vampire instinct, and he was disgusted with himself. Atem saw the same look on Seto thousands of years ago. In a way, he knew Seto wasn’t purposely trying to torment Mokuba into submission, as this was the only way Seto knew how to break the human instinct, but a part of Atem criticized him for not being gentler with his own family.

At last, Atem answered Seto, “I suppose I do.”

Seto turned his attention back to Mokuba, whispering praise into the young boy’s hair. Mokuba didn’t respond to it.  Atem excused himself from the room and exited. He wondered if Mokuba’s eagerness for him to stay had something to do with Seto’s methods. He wanted help. Atem wanted to help, but he didn’t know if he was strong enough to challenge Seto. However, if Mokuba wanted him here for support, he’d at least do his best to listen.

That night, Atem made sure all his things were packed in his suitcase before he left Kaiba’s home, and he silently promised Mokuba that he'd help in any way he could.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said I was only going to update on Fridays, but I want to thank those who came to read my story and give it a chance when there was only one chapter. So, have a Saturday update. I'm still 4 chapters ahead, which is still a good cushion, so I feel like I can spare this expense for you all. Thank you to those who have shown me and my story kindness thus far!
> 
> Content warnings for this chapter include: on-screen animal death and consumption (skip the paragraph between the *** to avoid this) 
> 
> Disclaimer: I am not Japanese, therefore, there may be inaccuracies depicting Japanese village life. Please feel free to correct me if you spot something wrong so I can rectify it in the future. Thank you!

When Seto said the village of Domino wasn’t far from his home, he wasn’t kidding. Atem could walk there on foot in about 20 minutes. Granted, that’s probably because he moved twice as fast as the average human, but he wasn’t about to let that fact slow him down.  Squinting to read Seto's awful handwriting on the paper, Atem followed the directions to the house he would soon take residence. Seto had already given him the key, so he didn’t need to meet anyone thankfully. He wasn’t in the mood. 

Seto also wasn’t kidding when he said the village was small. The main road was made of stone and bricks and wove up the side of a hill. Houses scaled the mountain and lit up the otherwise dark night. The sound of tapping bamboo and fresh running water flowed throughout the whole town. Trees towered well over his head, adding to its beauty. Shoji lanterns lit the path when home lights didn’t. The night air was cool but not uncomfortably so. Laughter echoed from occupied homes that still hung onto the late hours of the night.

Atem involuntarily smiled. He hadn’t felt this at peace in years. Something about it screamed home to him. Perhaps he could listen to Mokuba and allow himself to live here for a few years, provided his past didn't catch up with him.

Atem walked over an arched red bridge that crossed the stream surrounding his new home. A small zen garden emptied into a tiny waterfall that flowed over rocks parallel to the pathway. Atem wondered if he’d find small fish in the pond. Trees towered over the path and kept most of the house itself in shadow, which would bode well for him being out and about on sunny days. The walls were a pale white, and a black stone roof pointed up into the sky. A wooden porch overlooked the front yard, and Atem imagined sitting outside to stare up at the starry night sky with a glass of warm blood in his hands.

Huh, Atem hadn’t even stepped foot in the house yet and he was eager to call this place home.

After opening the front door, a small, lowered area that Mokuba told him was called a genkan invited him in. Atem slipped his shoes off and stepped up onto the first floor of the home. He slid a translucent paper door open to reveal a kitchen. It wasn’t huge, but then again, what use did Atem have for a kitchen other than needing somewhere to store and heat up blood? The living room to the right held a three-sided square sofa, a small light fixture, and a single rocking chair. A kotatsu lay cushioned between the sofa, and a large, fluffy blanket sheltered its legs. A stairway to his right led to a second floor, but Atem wasn’t interested in visiting that right now.  Going a little farther into the house, Atem found a bedroom connected to a bathroom with a bath and sink. The bedroom was completely empty. That was okay with him. He wasn’t about to invite anyone over to sleep anyway unless they were going to his bedroom. 

As he stood there, Atem noticed his shadow twitch on the wall in front of him, meaning something moved behind him.  A chill ran up Atem’s spine. His eyes drifted behind him, and he sighed. Apparently, in his excitement to tour the new home, he left the front door unlatched. Of course it was just a draft opening the door. Atem walked toward the door and closed it. For a second, he wondered if he should lock it. With a shrug, he decided against it. Whoever willingly walked into a vampire’s home deserved what they got.

Bored of touring the bottom floor, Atem traveled up the shallow stairs that weren't long enough to support his entire foot to find yet another door. He gave the handle a pull, but to his surprise, the door was jammed somehow. He hummed. Perhaps it was locked. Seto hadn’t given him a key for a door that was locked other than the front door. Perhaps the key was lying around here somewhere. Come to think of it, could one lock a sliding door? Perhaps it was jammed instead.

The same chill from before ran up Atem’s spine. Atem turned. The stairs behind him were empty. Atem wondered if a draft entered the home from somewhere. The house looked old enough to have a few cracks here and there. Come to think of it, didn't Mokuba say something about houses being drafty to keep the summer heat out of the house? Maybe he felt the night air moving through the house.

Atem traveled back down the stairs. He searched the kitchen drawers for any keys but was disappointed to find nothing. An annoyed sigh left his lips. He’d have to break the door down at this rate, and he really didn’t feel like doing that. Besides, the home was absolutely gorgeous, even if it was a little hot, and he didn’t want to ruin it on his first night here.  With an annoyed huff, Atem sat on the sofa in the middle of the living room. Nothing moved. Nothing stirred. Curiously, Atem slid half his body under the heavy blanket of the kotatsu and rested on his side. His eyes slipped into a half-lidded state, and a relieved sigh left his lips.

Peace at last.

Or at least, it was peaceful until the sound of footsteps woke him. 

Atem bolted up in his spot and looked around, his pupils dilating. Nothing in the house seemed to move. For a moment, Atem wondered if something moved outside of the house. Perhaps a small animal got onto the porch.

The footsteps didn’t sound again, but Atem couldn’t shake the feeling that he wasn’t alone. Quietly as possible, Atem got up and started stalking around the house. None of the rooms were occupied. Atem opened the front door and examined the surrounding area. The only noise out here was the babbling of the waterfall and the chitter of nocturnal animals. Even the moon offered its light to help Atem look around and show him nothing was there. 

Atem strained his ears as hard as he could. He couldn’t hear any hearts beating anywhere around the property, so if he truly wasn’t alone, whatever was with him wasn’t alive. A third chill ran up his spine, and Atem’s mind roamed to the one room in the house he hadn’t been.

The second floor.

After shutting the front door and turning to examine his house, he was surprised to hear a low humming noise. That definitely wasn’t there before. Atem stepped back inside the home, and he felt an abnormal heat source coming from under the table. His eyes narrowed. With one swift movement, he flung the blanket off of the kotatsu and tilted the small table up.  A heater glowed underneath it and breathed warmth into the room. Atem blinked stupidly. Did he somehow accidentally turn that on in his sleep and not notice? He scanned the area under the table for any sign of a creature that might’ve hidden or accidentally turned it on for him, but nothing was under there.

Atem sighed. Perhaps he wasn’t as relaxed as he thought he was. Perhaps he was still haunted by the incident that occurred in his last home. Atem reset the kotatsu and climbed under the blanket once again. The warmth spread through his icy lower half and seemed to soothe him once again. 

Atem laid down, but his eyes didn’t close. Instead, he stared at the door to the home and waited for someone to dare enter his house. 

So much for a restful first night. 

* * *

A burning sensation woke Atem with a shout. He drew his hand back and cradled it to his chest. His teeth flashed as an angry hiss warned whoever hurt him that he was not something to mess with.

Atem’s fury melted away when he spotted an innocent sunbeam shining through the window and landing right where his hand had been.

With a low chuckle, Atem kicked his feet out from under the cold kotatsu. Strange, he could’ve sworn the heater was on last night. Atem blinked. Was the incident last night nothing more than a dream? Perhaps he kicked it off in his sleep like he accidentally turned it on the night before.

Atem stretched his hands over his head and listened to his spine crack. He hadn’t slept on the floor in quite some time, and he wasn't sure the kotatsu was the best place to sleep. As Atem opened his eyes once again, he realized that the only beam of light the trees let through in the house was directly in his spot.

Huh, how unusually unlucky for him. 

Atem stood and observed the village in its morning hours through his window. He could hear the people in the tiny village waking, and his stomach growled. After cradling it and swallowing hard, he realized he hadn’t eaten anything for two days. He’d have to find a snack for later. Maybe set a trap and catch a small animal until he could find a reliable source for blood.

With a new goal in mind, Atem put on his shoes and walked into the morning air. Thankfully the trees gave him enough shade that he didn’t need to bring an umbrella with him to his yard. It was nice to be out during the day once again. He hadn’t seen the world bustling in the early hours of the day for quite some time. 

To his relief, the pond was filled with some sort of carp. While fish wasn’t his preferred method of achieving animal blood, he was rather good at fishing. It helped that he was gifted in probability. Fishing was a game between the fisherman and the fish, and Atem won all the time.

Well, most, but Atem preferred not to think about that last incident. He could still feel those leeches sticking to him.

The fish scales glittered every time they passed by a small sliver of sunlight. Atem watched them swim round in circles in a mesmerizing pattern. He waited. The fish didn’t see him as a threat and started to swim closer and closer to his outstretched hand. He waited. Their fins brushed the surface, testing the waters for their safety. He waited. The fish breached the top, hoping to swallow a bug stuck on the surface.

Atem struck.

***

The fish fought wildly to get out of his grip, but Atem’s nails dug into the fish’s scales. He listened to its blood pound through its body. Atem bit down on its back. His teeth punctured its singular atrium. The fish tried to struggle, but Atem made quick work of draining its life force away. Eventually, the fish stilled, and Atem finished up his snack.

****

The front door to his house slammed closed. Atem jumped. He turned his head around, his crimson eyes going from their slitted state to round dilated spheres.

“Who’s there?” Atem called out.

Nothing answered.

Atem threw the fish back into the water and stormed toward his house. Whoever entered was going to be the replacement for his snack later tonight. Atem put his hand on the front door and pushed. 

It didn’t open. 

For a minute, Atem stared at the door against his hand. Was it locked? Who locked it? Anger bubbled in his gut. Who dared enter his home and lock him out?  In a fit of rage, Atem backed up, raised his foot, and kicked the lock at the door. The door broke away from its position and crashed against the raised wood of the genkan. Atem stormed into the house. 

He froze just like the air in the house.

The hair on Atem’s arms stood on end as goosebumps rose to his skin. His eyes scanned the house from left to right. He slid his shoes off and stepped onto the first floor. Nothing looked out of place as far as he could tell. His feet made no noise as he walked around the first floor of the house. 

No one showed themselves. 

Was it the wind? No, there wasn’t any sort of strong breeze. Was there a downward slant to the house that would shut the door if it was left open? No, Atem was sure if the house wasn’t leveled he’d feel it.  So what closed the door? 

“Show yourself,” Atem ordered into the vacant house. Nothing dared to move and challenge the fuming vampire.  For a moment, Atem did nothing but listen. No footsteps, no beating of a frantic heart, nothing. Once Atem decided that this was, in fact, a freak accident, he ran his thumb over his chin and licked up the blood left behind from his snack.

He was still paranoid even after picking such a secluded spot, damn it.

Suddenly not wanting to be in the house any longer, Atem grabbed a paper umbrella Mokuba offered him before he left and stepped out into the still morning air. The paper umbrella was pure black to keep as much sunlight from reaching Atem as possible. For extra security, Atem grabbed a pair of sunglasses and covered his eyes, not just to protect him from the sun, but he wasn't sure when his eyes would return to their natural violet shade. 

Atem eyed the door barely hanging on its hinges. Ah, he really did make a mess of things already. He sighed and picked the door up.

“Sorry about that,” he said to the door as he placed it against the doorframe. “I’ll knock next time.”  Atem laughed at his own joke to ease his nerves. He wished he didn’t break his house on the first day, but perhaps some things couldn’t be helped. 

The stroll down the stone pathway was just as calming as Atem remembered it to be last night. Kids laughed as they played games outside, and grandparents observed from the front porch. The sound of a dog barking in the distance called out every once in a while. Fresh running water babbled beside and under the stone pathway and bridges. The air was warm but not too humid. The smell of rain hung in the air as thunder rolled over the mountain and prepared for a later storm.

As Atem walked down the path, a red rubber ball bounced in front of him. He reached out with his foot and stopped it underneath his boot. The ball halted. He stared at it for a moment, wondering if his gift in probability wasn’t as strong if he would’ve caught it.

“I’m so sorry, mister!” a child said as they ran toward the ball. They halted at the end of the pathway and bent at the waist. “Thank you for catching my ball.”

Atem blinked twice before he smiled and replied, “No problem.”

The child stood up straight, caught sight of Atem, and paused. Their jaw dropped. For a moment, all Atem and the child did was stare at each other. Atem broke the spell by leaning down and grabbing the red ball with his free hand. He handed it out to the child.

“Here,” Atem said, putting on his best smile. 

The child grabbed the ball without a word, bowed again, and ran straight onto the porch of their home. Atem wrinkled his brow. He adjusted his sunglasses to make sure his eyes were hidden, but to his knowledge, they were on right the whole time. Did his fangs show? No, he was certain they retracted after he left his home. He ran his tongue over his teeth to confirm his theory.

Strange. Perhaps the child realized they talked to a stranger impolitely and felt embarrassed?

Atem chose not to dwell on it. It wasn’t unusual for children to be frightened of new people, especially with stranger danger drilled into their heads. He continued down the path and put the incident behind him.

As Atem walked into the main section of the town, more people reacted strangely to his presence. Hearts started to race, reminding Atem how hungry he still was. People whispered to one another while trying not to be obvious it was about him, but his hearing picked it up like they spoke next to him. The word “mutouyugi” kept floating around, but he didn’t know what it meant. His skin started to crawl. According to Seto, this town had beach visitors every year, so seeing a stranger shouldn’t have been this shocking. 

Did they somehow know he was a vampire? Is that what “mutouyugi” meant?

Just to get out of sight from everyone’s prying eyes, Atem slid into the closest shop he could find. A bell called out above the door and announced his presence. He hissed reflexively. The noise nearly made his fangs extend. Atem sighed. Relax. He folded up his umbrella and took three calming breaths. He had to relax.

“Welcome!” came a chipper voice from somewhere in the building. “I’m in the back, but I’ll come out to help you soon.”

“Take your time,” Atem called back, hoping the stranger wouldn’t appear until he caught his bearings.

After getting his mind to calm a bit, Atem’s eyes circled around the tiny shop. It looked like a simple clothing store. Shirts hung on mannequins and modeled cute outfits with frilly skirts. Darker-colored shirts with various prints on them were folded in square-like cubbies on the far left. Hats and sunglasses sat on a small table in front of him. If he looked past them, he could see a wooden counter with a cash register and small snacks underneath it for last-minute purchases.

Atem hummed. What a quiet, quaint little shop.

The door behind the counter swung open, hiking Atem’s nerves once again. He tried to force his umbrella back open, but it was stuck. Atem hissed deep in his throat. 

“Thanks for waiting,” came the voice once again. Atem froze. His eyes glanced up to catch a person, maybe in their early thirties, placing a heavy box on the counter. Atem could hear the stranger’s heart pounding from exertion as they wiped the sweat from their brow. The stranger stepped out from behind the box, and warm, brown eyes met his.

The person froze in an instant, just like the child had.

Atem took the opportunity to try and force his umbrella back open again. What curse was this? He never had such bad luck-

“Yugi,” the person whispered. 

Atem stopped. He looked up to catch the person’s eyes, now filling with tears. Were they scared? No, their heart wasn’t racing. It sounded pained. Atem let his umbrella rest at his side and observed the stranger for a minute. 

As the person walked toward him, Atem’s body stiffened. He felt his fangs press against the back of his lips. He didn’t want to attack the stranger, but if they made one wrong move, he wouldn’t hesitate to at least startle them with a warning snarl.

“Yugi, is that really you?” the stranger said again, their voice thick with tears.  Atem bit his bottom lip. Wait, was he being mistaken for someone else? His eyes lit up with realization.

“Sorry, but I’m not Yugi,” he said.

The stranger froze midstep. Atem heard the exact moment their heart shattered. In a way, he felt guilty he wasn’t the person they were looking for. However, that part of him vanished as the person gave a polite bow.

“Oh, sorry about that. I should’ve known-” their voice trailed off into nothing. Putting on a fake smile, the person continued, “Let me know if you find anything you like, okay?”

“Oh, I’m not…” Atem’s words stopped as the stranger walked away and disappeared behind that door once again. Strange. Whoever this Yugi person was, this person cared about them very deeply. He flinched as he heard something heavy fall in the back, and a light curse whispered between the cracks of the door.

Atem hesitated for a moment. He called out, “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” they said, sounding not fine at all.  Atem, against his better judgment, walked through the store and pushed open the back door. On the other side, he caught the stranger struggling to lift a heavy box onto a shelf. Atem jumped forward and lifted up the other side.

“Let me help-”

“No, it’s okay, I got it.”

Atem snorted. “No, you don’t.”

The person glared at them from around the box and growled, “I said I got it.”

Atem ignored them and pushed the box up the rest of the way. The stranger seemed to stiffen as they watched Atem flex his strength. A proud smile crossed Atem’s face.

“Uh, thanks I guess,” the stranger mumbled and rubbed the back of their head. “Sorry for ducking out on you like that, but I just…”

“I reminded you of someone you miss,” Atem offered.

The person’s eyes teared up again, and they quickly dried them with their thumb. “Yeah. Uh, thanks again for your help.”

“It’s no problem,” Atem replied. Curiosity tilted his head to the side. “If I may ask, how much like this Yugi person do I look?”

“Oh, like a carbon copy,” the person replied. “Hair and all, only you know, you’re not Japanese. Wait, are you Japanese? I’m sorry if I-”

“I’m Egyptian, and I just recently moved here.”

“Oh! Well then, welcome to Japan.”

“Thank you,” Atem said with a sincere smile. 

The stranger held out a hand to shake before they said, “You can call me Jonouchi.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Jonouchi. You can call me Atem.”

“Nice to meet you too, Atem. If you don’t mind me asking, are you only visiting Domino?”

Atem shook his head. “I’ve moved into a new home on the other side of the town recently. It’s the one over the red bridge.”

Jonouchi’s warm demeanor frosted over, only for a moment, but Atem caught it. Whatever upset him, Jonouchi hid it well. He said, “Well, that’s as wild of a coincidence as it gets.”

“What do you mean?” Atem asked and rose a brow.

“Well it’s just-” Jonouchi cleared his throat- “that’s where my friend Yugi used to live.”

Atem recalled Seto’s words about the previous homeowner. “I’m sorry. I heard he passed away from a heart attack.”

Jonouchi chuckled and shook his head. A different sadness, one more of accepted loss than grief, overtook him. He replied, “No, that was his grandfather. Died of a broken heart.”

“I’m so sorry.” Atem tilted his head to the side in curiosity. “What happened to Yugi, if you don’t mind me asking?”

The sadness in Jonouchi’s demeanor disappeared, and it replaced itself with anger. Atem flinched at the sudden emotion’s intensity.  Through his teeth, Jonouchi said, “Actually, I do mind.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“It’s fine,” Jonouchi said, once again sounding not fine at all.

Feeling unwelcome, Atem fiddled with his umbrella once again. Thankfully, his luck returned, and the handle slid easily up the pole. He said, “I’ll leave you alone then. It was nice to meet you, Jonouchi.”

Jonouchi’s anger disappeared, and he said, “Oh, uh, you don’t have to leave.”

“No, I feel as though I overstayed my welcome.”

“Look,” Jonouchi paused and considered his words, “I’m sorry I snapped at you. It’s just… Yugi was a good friend of mine, and it’s still a sore subject for me, and I-”

“You don’t need to explain yourself,” Atem said. His eyes caught Jonouchi’s own, and he watched Jonouchi’s shoulders relax. “Since I am staying in town now, I wanted to get to know the area better, so I didn’t plan on staying long anyway.”

“Well, in that case, I hope to see you again soon, Atem,” Jonouchi said with a smile.

Atem couldn’t help but smile back. He gave a small nod before he exited the shop and walked back into the sunlight. He looked up above the door at the kanji on the sign, but he couldn’t read it. A sigh left his lips. He’d have to ask Jonouchi what the name of the shop was later.

As Atem walked through the town, he heard more whispers of Yugi’s name. Whoever this Yugi person was, he was either well liked, well known, or both. Everyone seemed to know who he was. Of course, being in such a small town meant you got well acquainted with your neighbors, so Atem figured it wasn’t unusual after all that they all knew this Yugi person.

Atem paused outside of another shop with people eating some sort of noodle soup- if he remembered correctly it was called udon- at a tiny bar-like table. The person behind the table leaned on their elbows and told some sort of joke, because the other two people at the table broke into laughter. Atem watched the sight with genuine fondness.

The person’s eyes glanced up and met Atem’s just as Jonouchi had, and Atem felt that uneasy tingle of recognition flash through him once again. The other two people caught on to the stranger’s distress, and they turned to look at him as well.

Atem sighed. He’d have to introduce himself to the whole town at this rate, or else he’d be mistaken for Yugi for the duration of his stay. Throwing caution to the wind, Atem approached the counter. He watched the person on the left cover their mouth with their hands, while the other two stared at him in disbelief. 

Atem stopped a meter or so away from them, bowed, and said, “Hello, my name is Atem, and I’m new in town. It’s nice to meet you.”

The unease didn’t seem to disappear, but at least it broke whatever spell these people were under. 

The person behind the table was the first person to speak up, “Welcome to Domino, Atem. I’m Honda, the owner of Katsura Grill.”

The person on the left introduced herself next, “My name is Shizuka, and me and my brother work in Kujaku Boutique.”

“And you can call me Otogi,” the person on the right introduced and quickly added, “I own Black Kage Game on the other side of the street.”

“Nice to meet you all as well,” Atem said with a smile. His smile disappeared, however, when he noticed their unease did not totally disappear. He added, “I heard I remind you all of a certain someone named Yugi.”

That seemed to bring the tension back full force once again. Atem wondered if he could get more information out of these people than he could Jonouchi.

Honda was the one to speak first, “Yes, you do resemble him a lot, actually.”

“Did you know him well?” Atem asked.

Honda nodded his head and explained, “Yugi and I grew up together. I didn’t really start hanging around him until middle school, but we knew each other for about fourteen or so years.”

“What happened to him?” Atem asked, then remembered his manners, “if you don’t mind me asking that is.”

Honda’s brows furrowed. Shizuka placed a hand on his, offering a sweet smile, which he returned. Otogi studied the two of them before he turned his attention to Atem.

“No one really knows,” Otogi answered.

Atem waited for him to continue. When it seemed nothing else would come of it, he prodded, “Well, did he leave or-”

“No, it’s not like that,” Otogi interrupted. He creased his brow and stared down at the ground. “I mean, there are two different stories, and no one knows which one is true.”

Atem sighed and asked, “Well, then tell me, is he dead or alive?”

That tensed the three of them right back up again. Atem filled in the blanks by taking in their reaction and Jonouchi’s earlier hostility. Either Yugi left with bad blood between everyone, or Yugi was dead. No one seemed to want to confirm which suspicion was true.

“Forgive me,” Honda said while trying to keep a professional appearance, “but I’d rather not talk about it.”

Judging by Otogi and Shizuka’s expressions, Atem wasn’t getting any information out of them either. He sighed through his nose in frustration.

“Of course,” Atem said with a bow. “I’ll leave you be then.”

“It was nice to meet you,” Shizuka spoke up at last. Atem offered her a small smile and a nod, and he turned back toward his house. He’d rather retire for the day than be subjected to anyone else’s judging stares. Of course, the walk back was filled with plenty of stares and whispers from strangers, but at least he didn’t have to address any of them.

He could ask what happened to this Yugi person tomorrow when he was less hungry and irritated.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warnings for this chapter: a one night stand between Atem and Mai (skip the paragraph between the *** to avoid this. It's oral performed on female genitalia if that's not your thing), disorientation after sex, discussion of consensual sex, blood drinking, discussions about blood drinking, and blood loss

Atem stared at his front door that lay half broken in the genkan and wondered if the town had any tools to fix it. It wasn't like he knew how to fix it, but he didn't know how comfortable he felt having a broken front door. He mumbled to himself about his rash behavior from earlier. What was worse was nothing was inside his house, so he did it for nothing. After slipping his shoes off again, Atem walked into the home and sat down at the kotatsu.

Atem's stomach growled. He put a hand to it and sighed. As much as he wanted to fix his door problem, this problem would become more of a nuisance than that rather quickly. Perhaps he should start trying to find a reliable blood source. With how many people took notice of him already, he was sure he wouldn’t get away with seducing anyone from the town into his home anytime soon. He pulled out the throwaway cell phone in his duffel bag and dialed Seto’s number.

After a few rings, the familiar voice of his cousin answered, “Hello.”

“Seto, it’s Atem.”

Seto’s sigh of relief sounded on the other side of the phone. “You couldn’t call me last night to let me know you arrived safely?”

“Forgive me, but I thought you wouldn’t be worried about me.”

“Please, I wasn’t worried. Mokuba was.”

“Of course,” Atem said. His playful smirk slid off his face. “I need your help.”

“What is it?” Seto tried to hide the worry in his voice, but Atem picked up the slight dip in his tone. “Is everything okay? No one tried to hurt you, did they?”

“No, everything’s fine. They all seem… nice enough.” Atem paused and considered his words. “I need to know if there are any blood brothels with a good reputation nearby.”

“Of course. I own one in… why?”

“Because,” Atem swallowed hard, “I’d rather not get on this town’s bad side the first week I’m here.”

“Right, I forgot how close smaller villagers are to each other.” Seto paused. “There’s a brothel in Tokyo I run, actually. It’s close enough that you could travel on foot. But I have to warn you, Atem, it's not cheap, and I won't be covering you for it.”

“It’s fine,” Atem responded.

“So what money are you going to use to pay them for their services?”

“I have some stashed away I could use,” he said as he flipped a credit card through his fingers. Briefly, he caught his name flash in golden letters.

Seto sighed. “Do you want me to meet you so you don’t get lost?”

“No, I think I’ll be fine. Just give me the address.”

Seto revealed the name and location, and Atem clicked his pen. He scribbled it down in a tiny notebook that used to reside in his pocket. After Seto was done, Atem clicked the pen closed twice, enjoying the bounce of the pen on the paper.

“Thank you again for your help, Seto,” Atem said.

“You know, you can always come here and feed off our own food sources.”

Atem shuddered and said, “No, that’s fine. I don’t need to steal food away from you and Mokuba.”

“Atem, you’re family. It doesn’t matter if-”

“It matters to me.” Atem didn’t realize his voice was tight until it echoed back to him. He cleared his throat. “You know how I feel about blood servants anyway.”

“I still don’t see the difference between the two,” Seto grumbled.

“There’s plenty of difference,” Atem said as he tried to keep his voice in check.

“You had no problem drinking their blood while you were here.”

Atem swallowed the hiss in his throat and mumbled, “I’m tired. I’ll speak to you after I feed to let you know how it went.”

“Of course. I’ll speak to you soon.”

Atem nodded and clicked the phone off. He narrowed his eyes at the phone and shoved it more roughly than necessary into his pocket. With a frustrated sigh, he flopped back against the couch behind him. The only reason he fed off Seto’s servants was that he ignored where the blood came from. In the back of his mind, he knew it was from the servants, but he chose to ignore it. Anger bubbled in his stomach. He couldn’t understand the ethics of it. Owning people and using them as a food source felt so wrong. Of course, he didn’t always feel that way, but after-

Something heavy fell on the second floor. Atem froze. He still couldn’t hear any heartbeats in the house. Was the house just that old that it made random noises? Perhaps it was a draft blowing something over. No matter what it was, Atem had to figure out how to open the door to the second floor.

Step by step, Atem climbed the tiny steps that his feet barely fit on. He stopped at the sliding door and listened. No sound came. He tried the door again, finding it just as jammed as before. Atem sighed. He really didn't want to break another door in his house like he had the front door.

“I’ll get you open one way or another,” he said to the door as he wiggled it. The door flinched but didn’t budge. He growled in frustration and pulled harder. The wood of the door cracked under his strength, but it still didn’t budge.

That same cold chill from earlier rose up against his spine. Atem spun around. Someone was watching him. He could feel it.

“Show yourself!” Atem shouted again. “Either show yourself or get out of my house.”

An intense cold rushed through his whole body. Atem shuddered. Whatever it was sapped his strength away, and Atem nearly collapsed onto the stairs. He grabbed the wall for support.

What in the world was that?

Atem recalled how the previous owner, this Yugi’s grandfather, died of a heart attack. Did he perish in the house? Was this his soul haunting the house? Was he upset Atem was here? Wait... of course! A ghost would make things fall over on thier own. A ghost would make chills run up Atem's already cold spine. A ghost would close doors and lock him out of his house.

After Atem caught his bearings, he decided to try and confirm his answer, “Are you the old man who died here?”

Silence answered him. Atem swallowed thickly. He listened for any sort of noise and held his breath.

He tried again, “Are you the previous owner of the house? I’m sorry I don’t know your name, but I know your grandson’s, Yugi.”

The cold chill returned, but this time, it felt distant like the night before. Had using Yugi’s name worked? Atem thought of how to address the situation.

“I heard he’s gone. I’m sorry for your loss. You must’ve loved each other very much.” Atem paused. “I heard no one knows what happened to him. If you need closure on what happened to him before you move on, I have none to offer, but I can find out for you.”

The chill in the air disappeared. Had his words pacified the ghost for now, or did it grow bored of his presence? That last part irritated him a small bit, but Atem swallowed it down. He waited for five minutes in the stillness of the house before he decided whatever spirit this was had left him.

Great, he lived in a haunted house.

Atem shouldn’t have minded. He was dead as well. However, the thought of living in someone’s home that didn’t invite him willingly unnerved him a small bit. But he knew it couldn’t be helped at this point. Seto would be pissed if Atem asked him to move so quickly, and he really didn’t want to deal with that at the moment. Besides, there was the promise he made to himself all those years ago that he'd live by himself for the rest of his life, and a ghost technically counted as someone. He'd have to get rid of it as soon as possible. Still, the ghost didn't seem to mind him there, or at least, it didn't make its distaste known. If it minded, would just have to put up with him for a little bit until he figured something out. They both had no other choice.

“I’m,” Atem spoke to no one in particular, “I’m going to get something to eat.”

Nothing answered.

After the long silence, Atem descended the stairs and headed toward the front door. He grabbed his umbrella and put his shoes back on. As Atem exited the house, he felt like someone was watching him. Atem turned. There in the second-story window, a white figure stood. Atem blinked. A white curtain swung back and forth in the second-story window. Atem blinked twice. Did he imagine it? No, he was certain something was watching him.

After pulling his eyes away from the window, Atem continued down the path. His mind spun with possibilities of who the visitor was. For all he knew, it could be a spirit before both Yugi and his grandfather lived in the house. Maybe it was a protective family member. Didn’t Japan have some sort of ritual about creating protective spirits? Atem would have to ask Mokuba if he knew anything about that.

Regardless of what it was, something was in that house with him, but Atem would worry about that when he returned home.

\--

Atem stared at the paper in his hand and studied the sign in front of him. To the average eye, it looked like any ordinary restaurant. However, Atem knew what lay underneath it. He walked through the doors, the chatter of people replacing the sounds of early dusk. People, human people, passed him without a second thought as they exited the restaurant and went on with their business. He hoped he had the right place. After taking a deep breath to prepare himself, Atem stepped inside.

“Welcome,” a cheerful woman greeted as he walked in the door. “Can I offer you a seat?”

Atem shook his head. “I’m actually not here to dine on human food.”

The woman’s eyes lit up in realization, and she motioned for Atem to follow her. Atem followed her into the restaurant as she led him through a sliding door and down a flight of stairs. She stopped at a keypad and typed in the passcode. The door beeped and opened.

The strong smell of blood drew Atem’s teeth out involuntarily. His eyes narrowed into slits then dilated. He heard the chatter and laughter of vampires and humans alike, all eager to please one another. The air held an inviting warmth to it. The woman asked Atem to wait there and disappeared behind another door.

Atem didn’t have to wait long before someone started to show interest in him. His eyes flashed over to a blond woman, who wasn’t shy about showing off her breasts, that approached him. Her eyes almost seduced Atem on their own. Atem may have been overreacting, but he swore he saw a look of recognition cross her face. He could hear the steady beat of her heart. Ah, a veteran. Good.

“Well hey there, stranger,” she spoke in a thick, alluring voice. “I don’t think we’ve ever met before. Are you new in town? You certainly look lost.”

Atem nodded. “I am- I mean new, not lost.”

The woman giggled. “Of course.”

Atem swallowed as she stepped closer to him and tilted her neck to the side. Atem felt the pulse of her carotid artery from here. He swallowed again.

She continued, “Well if you need someone to engage with tonight, I can certainly satisfy you. I have to warn you, though, I don’t come cheap.”

“Name your price,” Atem said almost automatically.

“Ten thousand yen,” she replied.

Atem swallowed hard. That was more than he expected to pay, but it wasn’t by much. He nodded his head, and the woman wrapped her arms around him.

“I’m glad to hear you accept,” she said, “but before we start, I have some rules I want to go over.”

“Of course.”

The woman smiled. She said, “As you know, neck biting is prohibited, but I also don’t want my wrists bitten. I prefer my left arm, actually. It doesn’t hurt as badly when it’s healing, and I can still use my hands to paint.”

“You’re an artist?”

She nodded. “I’m actually a fashion designer, but an artist works too.”

“Any more rules?”

“I prefer not to be penetrated by any sexual organs, but if you really want to get my blood pumping, I’m not against oral. I hope you’re good with your tongue.”

A cocky smile spread across Atem’s face as he said, “So I’ve heard.”

The woman’s smile spread further, and her heart raced thinking about it. Atem swallowed thickly. He controlled his urge to bite and waited for more rules.

“My third and final rule is we go to a more private place than the brothel, preferably an apartment. I have people that will come looking for me if you misbehave, so you better mind your manners.”

Atem paused The clubs usually had rules against that, didn't they? Hosts were supposed to use rooms provided at the brothel to log their blood loss and keep them safe from their patrons. Perhaps this place was different. Atem answered, “Of course. My house is not a far distance from here, but if you don’t mind me carrying you, I would gladly conduct our business there.”

She hesitated upon the mention of going to his home, but nonetheless, she nodded her head. Atem held his arm out for her to take, and she nuzzled into his shoulder.

“May I know your name?” Atem asked.

“No,” she said with a coy wink. The answer stunned Atem for a moment, and the woman laughed. She added, “If you want something to call me, though, you can call me Valentine.”

“It’s nice to meet you then, Valentine,” Atem said with a smile.

Valentine winked at him, and Atem felt her heart race. He led her to the front room. Eyes from all over the brothel watched them leave. Valentine wasn’t kidding. Everyone seemed to be taking in his appearance to make sure they knew exactly what he looked like. The woman who led him down here stared him up and down before she asked for payment. Atem flashed his credit card, and the woman ran it through. Both Atem and Valentine exited the brothel and into Tokyo’s nightlife.

After they were a safe distance away, Atem offered to pick up Valentine and carry her back to his home. She accepted, and he allowed her onto his back. Atem raced toward his home and only stopped once he felt Valentine stiffen under his grip. He halted just at the edge of the road that would take them to Domino.

“Something wrong?” Atem asked.

Valentine stared at the sight before them before she said, “No, but please don’t let me be seen by anyone.”

Atem studied her for a moment, then he nodded his head. Since the town was dark, he could easily sneak her through the shadows to his home. The pathways were mostly dark this time of night, and the village slept as they traveled through its pathways. Again, Atem felt her stiffen underneath his grip once again as he stopped at the bridge to his home.

“Are you sure nothing is wrong?” Atem asked. Valentine didn’t answer him. He prodded her again. “Valentine, is something wrong?”

“I… is this where you live?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Atem nodded. “Is there something wrong with that?”

“No, I just… I knew you looked familiar, but I didn't think… Yugi, were you turned into a vampire?”

That name again. Atem studied her for a moment before he responded, “I’m not Yugi.”

“Oh,” Valentine said and looked down. She seemed saddened almost. Her heart started to pound again as she said, “I thought- I’m sorry. It’s just-”

“You lived here in Domino, didn’t you?” Atem asked.

“Live,” Valentine corrected. She watched Atem for any sort of reaction. After a moment, she let out a long sigh and said, “I own a small shop in the town called Kujaku Boutique. I want to expand and get out of this small town, but to do that, I need more money. This place is nice, but it’s not exactly overflowing in wealth.”

Atem nodded his head in understanding. Briefly, he remembered the young woman named Shizuka mentioning she worked there. He said, “So you decided to offer your services to paying vampires to get more money while someone else minds your shop.”

“Exactly,” she said. She sighed. “Don’t tell anyone I’m thinking about leaving or what I’m doing, please.”

“Your secret is safe with me as long as you keep mine as well.”

Valentine looked up and offered a kind smile. She nodded her head and said, “Thank you. I really do appreciate it, and since we are neighbors, I’ll let you know my real name. It’s Mai.”

Atem nodded his head and replied, “It’s nice to officially meet you, Mai.”

“Likewise. Now, we should probably get started before anyone sees me standing out here with you and gets suspicious.”

Part of Atem pitied Mai. Here he was able to move all over the world, and she had to offer her body to vampires to gather enough money together just to move to one place. How did she even find out about the brothel anyway? Vampires were still pretty well hidden from humans in their world. They were ghost stories they told to their children. Did Mai have a run-in with a vampire previously? He couldn't smell any claiming bites on her, but that didn't mean she wasn't bitten in the past. Mai reminded him they were still outside and broke him from his thoughts. Atem led Mai over the bridge to his home and up the stone path.

Mai paused as she watched Atem move the broken front door. She swallowed before asking, “Did you buy the house, or have you been hiding here because it’s empty?”

“I bought it a few days ago. The front door is broken because I locked myself out the other day and couldn't get back inside.”

Mai laughed, and if Atem was alive, he was sure he’d blush in embarrassment. She shook her head. “If you want that fixed, just ask Kajiki when he’s back in town. He’s a pretty skilled carpenter.”

Atem nodded his head, filing that name away in the back of his mind. He kicked off his shoes and waited for Mai to do the same. However, it appeared she was frozen in her spot. Her throat bobbed as she swallowed thickly.

“It’s been so long since I’ve been in this house,” she whispered.

Atem watched her for a moment. “Will you be alright here?”

“Yes, I just… give me a minute.” Mai took a deep breath and exhaled. A smile came to her lips. “I’m home.”

Atem rose a brow. He asked, “Were you and Yugi related in some way?”

“Oh no,” Mai said with a laugh. “Yugi was a good friend of mine. He was the first person to welcome me into the town when I moved here in high school. Everyone who was friends with Yugi or his grandfather called this home.” Her voice softened. “It was a sanctuary. If any of us were in trouble, we knew we could come here, and we’d be safe.”

“This Yugi sounds like a good person.”

“You honestly have no idea.”

“Well then, where would you like to do this?”

“Anywhere is fine. Do you have a bedroom?”

“No, but I do have a sofa if it’ll make you more comfortable.”

“The sofa is fine.”

Atem waited for Mai to slip off her shoes and led her into the house. He shut the sliding paper door to the kitchen behind her. The air felt warmed by her presence. For a moment, Atem wondered if the kotatsu heated up by itself again. Or, perhaps that was whoever lived in the house warming their home. Atem pushed the thought away. He sat on the sofa and let Mai get comfortable. She shrugged off her jacket, revealing her small white corset below. After a sigh, she said, “Okay, I’m ready when you are.”

Atem watched her for a moment. "You're sure you're ready."

Mai narrowed her eyes. "Don't tease. I came here to have a good time, and I expect to be treated well."

A cocky grin crossed his face, and he replied, "As you wish."

***

Atem, well-versed in how this went, leaned in and ran a hand through her hair. The touch caused a shiver to run through Mai’s body. Gently, Atem laid her back onto the couch and slid his fingers down her chest. He felt her heart racing under his fingertips.

“May I kiss you, Mai?” Atem asked.

“Of course,” she replied.

Atem leaned down and waited for Mai to offer her lips to him. His mouth salivated. Her lips smelled of cherry, and they were as soft as silk. Mai sighed as Atem poked her lips with his tongue and allowed him in.

The effects of his aphrodisiac saliva were instant. Mai’s body heated up, her pupils dilated, and her heart pounded beneath his fingertips. She leaned into his kiss, begging for more. However, Atem wanted this over as quickly as possible and pulled away. Mai whined as Atem separated their lips. His mouth traveled down her neck, and her breath hitched. In the back of his mind, Atem knew neck biting was off-limits, but the temptation to tease never failed to bring a smile to his lips.

Mai’s hand went to his throat and gave a gentle squeeze. She mumbled through her haze, “No neck.”

“Of course,” Atem replied. “I’m only teasing.”

“Bastard,” Mai said with no venom in her voice.

Atem smirked. His lips traveled down her chest and stopped at her stomach. Mai squirmed under his feather-light touches. Her stomach muscles clenched, and she bucked her hips upward. The scent of her wet sex started to drift through the air. Mai reached down and wove her fingers in his hair, pushing Atem farther down her body.

“Please,” Mai panted.

“Please, what?” Atem asked.

“Please service me already. I can’t wait,” Mai mumbled.

“As you wish,” Atem responded. His fingers pulled at the waistline of Mai’s skirt. Her free hand assisted him, pushing her skirt and thong down at the same time. Atem put a hand to her hip and purred, “Patience.”

“I’m not a patient person.”

“I’ll teach you then.”

“Teasing bastard.”

Contradictory to his word, he assisted her out of her skirt and thong rather quickly. Her scent did nothing for him, but he was glad she was at least enjoying herself. Testing the waters, Atem leaned down and licked the edges of her pussy lips. Mai’s whole body tensed as her back rose off the couch. She let out a moan.

“Do that again,” she ordered.

Atem obliged. One lick turned into two. Mai squirmed under his touch, and he held her hips still. She whined in frustration. Atem’s tongue finally found her clit. A shriek left Mai’s lips, and Atem smirked. He prodded it again with his tongue several times, enjoying how Mai’s heart pulsed through her whole body. She was almost ready.

Atem was about to penetrate her with his tongue when he felt the familiar shiver of an orgasm starting. He continued to play with her clit instead, driving Mai completely wild. Her breathing started to become erratic. Her heart pounded. Sweat dripped from her forehead. She leaned down to get more pressure from Atem’s gifted tongue.

Atem’s name didn’t even make it out of her mouth before she came.

****

Atem seized his moment. He sprung to her left shoulder like she asked. His fangs extended. Mai rode out her wave of pleasure, and Atem bit into her shoulder. The light cry of surprise from Mai fueled Atem’s hunger.

As Atem sucked the puncture wounds on Mai’s shoulder, he noticed the temperature in the room drop. Had the kotatsu lost its heat? He didn’t stop drinking to find out.

The rattling of wood, however, did stop him. Atem looked up, his crimson eyes glowing in the dark. He noticed the paper door to the kitchen shaking, and it slid open with a bang. Mai stilled under Atem’s touch, too exhausted to realize what just happened but knowing it wasn’t good.

Atem’s eyes searched around the room. He couldn’t see anything stirring in the house. It must be the spirit from before. He recalled Mai saying this was a place they felt protected. Had he aggravated the spirit by puncturing her? Once again, his body plunged into the same paralyzing coldness he felt on the stairs. Atem watched as two indents that looked suspiciously like feet landed on the futon of the kotatsu. He swallowed thickly.

_**“Leave her alone.”** _

Mai must’ve heard the voice as well because she wiggled to escape Atem's weight on top of her. Atem got off as she struggled to slide her body out from under him. Her arms, too weak to support her, caused her to fall onto her back. Atem watched her out of the corner of his eye. He reached out to help her sit up.

The same paralyzing cold stopped him in his tracks once again. He felt something grip his wrist. No, he _saw_ the indent of something gripping his wrist. He couldn’t see anything there. What was this?

_**“Don’t touch her.”** _

Atem’s hand flew backward. His whole body refused to listen to him. He sat back on his knees and searched for whoever was in the room with them. Mai seemed equally as distressed, but she was still somewhat out of it. However, she was able to whisper something before she collapsed against the couch.

“Yugi?"

The cold chill in the air disappeared in an instant. Atem felt his limbs belong to himself once again. He held his breath. He waited for something, anything, to happen. However, it seemed like Mai's voice pacified whatever was in the room. Any doubt that Atem didn't have a ghost in his house disappeared from his mind.

“Yugi?” Atem tried the name on his tongue. He felt the chill in the air return, but not as strong. It was listening. “I’m not here to hurt your friend. She’s helping me. I promise I’ll return her to where I found her, unharmed and alive.”

Nothing in the house stirred. Atem leaned forward over Mai, and the paralyzing cold returned to his body. His muscles strained against its hold.

“Please,” Atem said through his clenched teeth. “I want to close the wound on her shoulder. I can make it heal faster. Besides, if I don’t, the wound won’t heal properly. Let me close to her to stop it from bleeding, at least.”

The coldness didn’t budge.

“It’s okay,” Mai said. Atem studied her. She looked halfway delirious, and he wondered if she knew what was going on. “I’m okay. I wanted this. Let Atem help me. Please, Yugi.”

Atem’s body once again returned to his own will. He nearly collapsed onto Mai, but his arm caught his balance on the sofa back before that happened. True to his word, he lapped his tongue over Mai’s wound. He licked until both the puncture wounds and the leftover blood were completely gone. After he finished, he sat up and stared into the darkness of the house.

“As I told you, I don’t wish to hurt Mai,” Atem said. While the chill wasn’t as strong, Atem could still feel the presence close to them. He turned his attention back to Mai and asked, “Would you like me to carry you home?”

“No, to the brothel, please. They’ll want to know I’m okay.”

Atem nodded his head. Mai struggled to return her clothing to its rightful position, and Atem helped her get dressed. Once they were finished, he slid his arms under Mai and paused. Nothing stopped him. He picked her up in his arms. The chill in the air made Mai shiver. Atem waited until it moved away from the both of them.

Cautiously, Atem took a step forward. Then another. Soon, he was at the front door. Nothing stopped him from leaving with Mai in hand. Whoever this Yugi person was, he was trusting him.

“Thank you,” Atem said over his shoulder. Nothing answered him back.

Atem slipped out of the home and raced toward the brothel where Mai wanted to be returned. As they headed toward Tokyo, Mai said she wanted to walk to the brothel. Atem obliged. She held onto his arm and only stumbled three times. Atem admired her strength. He wondered how often she did this, but he didn’t feel like prying. The woman at the front of the restaurant took Mai from him and gave a curt nod, thanking him for taking care of her. Atem said his goodbyes and raced back toward his home. He must’ve doubled his speed because he returned in almost no time at all.

As soon as he stepped through the front door, the cold air greeted him. Atem slid off his shoes. He fully planned to meet whatever was in his home.

What he didn’t expect was a ghost white person standing in the living room. Atem’s hair on the back of his neck rose, and his fangs clenched. A warning hiss escaped his teeth. The shadow didn’t move.

Atem lowered his lips and studied the spirit. It had spiky hair like his, a slender body, and looked like an adult in their late twenties. The longer he stared, the clearer he could see its round face, its purple eyes, and its disapproving frown. Atem’s eyes widened in realization. The others weren’t kidding when they said the two of them looked nearly identical.

“We need to talk,” the shadow said, its voice nowhere near the terrifying echo it spoke in before.

Atem nodded his head and answered, “It appears we do… Yugi.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warnings for this chapter include: discussions surrounding a character's death, discussions of blood-drinking, and... that's pretty much it. The chapter's fairly chill.
> 
> I do want to note, however, most of the relationships besides Yugi and Atem are being kept as ambiguous as possible. You can keep everyone strictly platonic, strictly romantic, or split them off into separate pairings you want. While I stated everyone is on the queer spectrum, I'm leaving it up to the reader to fill in the relationships they want, hetero or not.

For a moment, all Atem did was stare at the shadow taking residence in his living room- well, it was the spirit’s living room first. The chill from their earlier confrontation clung to the air, but it was nowhere near as intense as when Atem lost his ability to move. He never felt that helpless in his life, nor did he think anything was strong enough to affect him like that. However, he stood corrected. It appeared that the one thing that had a fighting chance against him was locked in a staring contest with him. He could sense the spirit didn’t quite want him here but was also curious as to why he was here. The name the town whispered while Atem walked through the streets echoed in his mind.

Yugi.

As soon as Mai said that name when she entered the house, he started to piece the puzzle together. Yugi was, in fact, dead. That’s why the others had such a hard time speaking about him. Why or how Atem wasn’t sure, and according to everyone else, it was just as much a mystery to them as it was him. Perhaps Yugi could shed some light on the confusing situation.

“Hello,” Atem greeted from the doorway and politely bowed. “May I come in?”

The casual greeting caused Yugi’s eyes to widen. The spirit hesitated for a moment before he replied, “Yes.”

Atem slid his shoes off and placed them to the side. He may have taken his eyes off Yugi, but he could still see the ghost out of the corner of his eye. Atem carefully took a step onto the first floor, then the next. He studied Yugi’s reaction as he walked from the entryway to the living room. Yugi made no move to stop him. Whatever anger he felt before seemed to vanish into something different and uncalculatable. His glowing purple eyes continued to follow Atem, not quite trusting but also not accusing.

As Atem drew closer, he could make out a few more features of the spirit. Dark clothing covered Yugi’s torso, legs, and neck. His lips were a pale blue, and his feet were barely visible even this close.

Atem returned his gaze to Yugi's eyes as he sat down on the sofa. The cushions were still warm from his encounter with Mai, and his fingertips brushed a few drops of blood that he missed. Yugi made no move toward or away from him, and a cold shudder traveled through Atem’s body. He couldn’t pinpoint Yugi’s emotion, but the chill in the room told him everything he needed to know. While Atem didn’t know much about ghosts, he did know the colder it was, the closer and more focused they were on you. He also realized that he, as a vampire, stood no chance against the ghost’s fury. It was hard to hurt what wasn’t tangible. 

“Who are you?” Yugi asked and broke the silence. "Are you some sort of demon?"

He folded his legs under him and answered, “My name is Atem, and I’m a vampire.”

“Vampire?” Yugi repeated as his head tilted his head to the side. “I don’t know what that is.”

Atem chuckled. He explained, “I’m basically like you, only my soul is still attached to my body.”

“Is that why you can see me?” Yugi mumbled to himself. Atem shrugged, and Yugi’s voice rose to address him once again, “Why are you here?”

“I seem to have purchased your home.” Atem paused. “I’ve been looking for a quiet place to settle down, and this area sounded perfect. I hope you don’t mind.”

Yugi studied him for a minute. The deep scowl he wore before turned into something softer, warier. The dark lines around his eyes receded a small bit.

Atem prodded him, “Do you mind?”

“I don’t know,” Yugi replied, his voice small. “I didn’t mind at first. I was happy someone was here, but if- you hurt Mai.”

Atem felt the temperature in the air drop once again, and the deep lines around Yugi’s eyes returned. He shuddered. “I did not do so without her consent. Mai offered her body willingly so that I could feed off of it. If you recall, I mentioned I’m like you. That’s half true. In order for me to retain the body I still possess, I need blood sacrifices to keep my mind and body from rotting away. If I do not… well, the consequences usually end up getting someone hurt without their consent, and I do not wish that type of harm on those who do not deserve it.”

The answer seemed to pacify Yugi a small bit. The cold receded. For the first time since Atem entered the home, Yugi broke his eye contact to study the floor. He hugged his arms around his chest and mimicked a sigh.

Atem continued, “You and Mai were friends, right?”

“I,” Yugi blinked. “I think so. I don’t remember anything about her before… but I know I didn't like you hurting her.”

Atem sighed. He crossed his arms over one another. “Do you remember anything from before you died?”

Yugi shook his head. “I remember waking up here in this house and following around an old man who called me Yugi. He must’ve been my grandpa. He- he couldn’t see me, but he kept looking at pictures that looked just like me, so I filled in the blanks. There were others that used to visit the house too. They spoke a little about me. They were always sad that I was gone, but I was here, and-”

Atem watched the light above their head flicker. Huh, he didn't recall turning on the electricity for the house. He studied it for a moment as Yugi put his hands over his eyes and let out a light sob.

“-and even though I tried to tell them I was right here, no one answered me. And then- and then the one time I managed to get my grandpa to see me, he had a heart attack, and I watched them take him away, and then he never came back.”

The lightbulb pulsed brighter as Yugi let out another haunting wail. Atem’s gaze went between the light to Yugi. He mustered as calming of a voice as he could and said, “You must’ve been so lonely.”

The light stopped flickering as soon as Atem finished his sentence, and Yugi appeared frozen in his spot. For a moment, nothing in the house stirred. Then, Yugi took his hands away from his eyes and nodded his head slowly.

Atem continued, “I’m sorry you’ve been alone for so long. I’m sure if they could’ve seen you, they would have talked to you. Everyone I met in town spoke so highly of you.”

Yugi thought over his words for a minute. The spirit seemed to calm a small bit, and a small smile formed on his lips. However, it soon fell away as he asked, “Why is it that you can see me but they can’t?”

“Because I’m dead as well. All dead beings can sense other dead beings as far as I’m aware of, which means you should be able to feel I’m not quite human, but don’t worry. I mean you no harm.”

Yugi nodded his head and mimicked a long sigh. After a moment, he sat down on the floor across from Atem. The two fell into a comfortable silence. Yugi wiped his hands over his eyes, which lost all of their dark edges now. Atem studied him for a moment and considered his next words carefully.

“Did they ever say how you died?”

Yugi thought for a moment then shook his head. He mumbled, “I don’t know if they knew either. I heard so many stories when people walked in the house, and no one could agree on anything.”

Well, that aligned with what the others told him at least, so they weren’t lying. Yugi’s death was as much a mystery to him as it was everyone else. So then, why was Yugi still here? Didn’t ghosts usually appear because they had some sort of unfinished business? Shouldn’t Yugi at least remember that?

“That’s unfortunate,” Atem answered at last. He looked out the window to his left. The late hours of the night still held on as the moon set over the mountains. Soon, dawn would be approaching. His eyes grew heavy. It’d been almost three days since he rested properly, and it was starting to catch up with him, especially with all the energy he was exerting.

Still, he had too many questions to fall victim to his rest cycle just yet.

“If you’re so lonely, why didn’t you ever try to leave the house? I’m sure you could find some answers somewhere about your death, whether it be the local newspaper or-”

“I can’t leave the house." Yugi looked down at his hands, and that cold loneliness crept through the house again. Yugi continued, “Every time I try to leave the porch, I always end up back in my bed upstairs.”

Guilt struck Atem. Here he was running from everyone, and all Yugi wanted was someone. He couldn’t imagine living here for so long with no idea why or how it happened and no way to leave. Atem thought of the noises from nowhere. “So you’re the one I kept hearing up there.”

Yugi smiled sheepishly at that. “Yeah. I’m sorry I woke you up the other night. I felt how cold you were, so I heated the kotatsu for you.”

“Ah, so that was you as well.”

Yugi nodded.

“And the loud thump I heard the other night?”

Yugi looked down at his hands as embarrassment crawled over his face. “I’m practicing moving things on my own.”

“You didn’t have a problem opening the door or grabbing onto me earlier.”

Yugi shrugged. “I can’t control it yet. Sometimes I can grab onto stuff and sometimes I can’t. And sometimes it just happens when I don’t want it to, like when I’m angry or scared.”

Atem nodded in understanding. While he didn’t know a lot about ghosts, he did know their energy could affect the world around them when they felt distressed, so Yugi’s story rang true. Still, with no way to know why he was here, there was no way Atem could help Yugi’s spirit move on. He sighed. He really didn’t want a roommate, and he hoped he could live out a few years here by himself.

Perhaps if he helped the ghost figure out his past, the both of them could be at peace. He asked, “Yugi, would you mind if I helped you move on?”

Yugi blinked at him in surprise. He seemed hesitant to answer before he chewed on his bottom lip. “How would you do that?”

“Well, for one, I have two advantages that you don’t. I can leave the house, and I can talk to the people around me. I’m sure if I ask, they’ll start to eventually tell me what happened to you. Then, once we know what your unfinished business is, we can try to help you move on. Perhaps you’ll even remember who you are and join your grandfather so you will no longer feel alone.”

“Really? You’d do that for me?”

“Of course.”

“That’s so kind of you! Thank you!” Yugi said, his face lighting up with joy. The light above them turned on and brightened until it exploded. Yugi let out a surprised shriek as glass rained through his body. His surprise gave way to embarrassment. “Sorry.”

“It’s alright. I don’t use lights anyway. I can see quite well in the dark.” Atem stood to retrieve the broom ironically covered in cobwebs in the corner of the room. Yugi moved away from the glass and studied the broken pile at his feet. As Atem swept up the mess, he noticed Yugi was more transparent than before. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. It didn’t hurt me,” Yugi said with a smile. “I didn’t even feel it.”

“No, I mean, I can barely see you now.”

Yugi blinked and mumbled, “Well, I am pretty tired.”

“I didn’t know ghosts could get tired,” Atem mused as he swept the glass into the dustpan.

Yugi nodded his head. “I don’t think it’s like regular sleeping though. I don’t know exactly what happens, but sometimes when I move stuff around a lot, time jumps. It could be the morning, I’ll start to feel tired, and then the next thing I know, it’ll be late at night.”

Atem hummed in acknowledgment of Yugi’s words but chose not to answer. He carried the debris out onto the porch and threw the glass out onto the yard.

“Hey! Don’t litter,” Yugi shouted behind him.

Atem turned his head to catch Yugi standing once again, or at least, it appeared that Yugi was standing. He couldn’t see the bottom of Yugi’s legs at all, and right now, he was nothing more than a floating torso, arms, and head. After a moment’s hesitation, Atem asked, “What else was I supposed to do with it?”

“Recycle it.”

“I don’t have a recycling system. I don’t produce waste, therefore, there’s no need.”

“Well… I’m sure the neighbors wouldn’t mind if you put it in their recycling bins. I know recycling in Japan is different depending on where you live, but you can get used to it.”

Atem sighed and shut the front door. Yugi puffed out his chest and stood in front of him to try and stop him. However, Atem walked straight through him and settled down on the couch. He brushed off the cold chill left behind by Yugi’s body and slipped under the blanket of the kotatsu as he did the night before.

Yugi turned to him and crossed his arms over his chest. “You’re still going to pick that up though, right?”

“Tomorrow I will. The sun is starting to come up, and I’d like to get some sleep.” Atem shifted his position on the couch so that he wouldn’t fall victim to a certain sunbeam soon. He made sure he was comfortable once again, let out a content sigh, and allowed his eyes to slip closed.

“You know, you don’t have to sleep on the couch. You can use the futon in my room upstairs if you want since I don’t use it anymore.”

“Tomorrow. The second floor is locked, and I don’t feel like fighting with another door today.”

“Oh! No, it’s not locked. There are boxes blocking the door from when I, uh, accidentally knocked them over. I could try to move them for you if you want.”

Atem opened his left eye to look at Yugi before he nodded his head. He closed his eye to go to sleep once again.

“What’s your name again?”

He sighed. “It’s Atem.”

“Oh, okay. Good night, Atem, or should I say good morning?”

Atem chuckled through his nose. “Yugi, as much as I enjoy speaking to you, I’m trying to sleep.”

“Oh, I’m sorry! Uh, good night then.”

“Good night, Yugi,” Atem said as he cracked his eye once again. Yugi’s gentle smile was the last thing Atem saw before he fell into a peaceful resting state.

* * *

The next time Atem opened his eyes, the sun started to set over the mountains in the distance. He blinked once, twice, then sat up. He hadn’t remembered sleeping that soundly in at least two weeks. A yawn escaped his lips. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked around.

Silent as the grave.

Atem stretched his arms over his head and arched his back, listening to his spine crack all the way down. He stretched out a few more muscles in his arms and legs before he took a deep, cleansing breath. Something nagged at the back of his mind that he was forgetting something, but he couldn’t recall what. Oh well, he’d remember eventually, he was sure. If not, it wasn’t important enough to-

“Good morning!”

Atem’s body jolted, and he bared his fangs with a hiss. He whipped his head around and caught sight of a startled face behind him.

Wait.

“Oh,” he mumbled as he lowered his defenses. So last night wasn’t a dream. “Good morning, Yugi.”

Yugi let out a sigh of relief and returned his smile to his face. “I was hoping you’d wake soon.”

“Oh?” Atem paused. “Did something happen?”

“No,” Yugi said as he tilted his head to the side, “but you weren’t breathing, and I got worried.”

“I don’t need to breathe. I’m dead.”

“But you just did.”

“It doesn’t do anything for my body. The only time I really need to breathe is when I want to speak.”

Yugi let out an embarrassed chuckle as he mumbled, “Oh.”

Atem raised his brow in question. “You’re dead too. Do you need to breathe?”

“Well, no, but I don’t know anything about vampires. I mean, I know you said you drink blood to keep yourself alive, but that’s it.”

“Well then, looks like we’re both mysteries to each other,” Atem said as he headed toward the front door.

“Where are you going?” Yugi asked.

Atem turned and explained, “I’m going to talk to your friends and see if I can get any more information about you, as I promised last night.”

Yugi hummed and replied, “Ah, I don’t know if that’s such-”

Atem tuned him out as he stepped through the front door. He ignored Yugi’s protests from inside the house. Something fell, and Atem sighed. He’d go back to find out what that was later. Right now, he was on a mission.

The sooner he got Yugi out of the house, the sooner he could live the rest of his time here in peace.

Atem’s stomach growled, and he paused. His feast from Mai should’ve filled him up for at least a few days. Why was he hungry already? Maybe it was because of how much energy he used running back and forth between Domino and Tokyo. He hadn’t intended to travel back and forth twice. Atem grumbled under his breath about finding a reliable food source closer to home, or at least finding alternative transportation back and forth.

Lights from the homes of Domino lit one by one to chase away the darkness of the night. Chatter between adults who sat on their porch accompanied children laying in the grass to gaze at the stars. The smell of various human foods mixed together. A cool breeze blew the last remaining warmth of the sun away.

As Atem entered the main section of the town once again, he watched store lights extinguish one by one as store owners returned home to their families. Thankfully for him, one place in particular had its light still on.

Red paper lanterns lit a familiar wooden bar surrounded by just the right people Atem wanted to see. Jonouchi, Shizuka, Honda, Otogi, and Mai, if he remembered their names correctly, all crowded around the bar. Oblivious to his presence, the group of people below the lights talked while drinking some sort of sweet-smelling beverage. Atem could barely make out their conversation, but something they said made everyone laugh. He paused a few meters away. A part of him didn’t want to spoil their peaceful moment. Surely bringing up Yugi would ruin their whole mood, but a promise was a promise he supposed. Besides, he wanted to live alone, and he couldn’t do that with Yugi haunting the house.

The first person to catch sight of Atem was Jonouchi. He nudged Otogi beside him with his elbow and pointed with the other's thumb. The cheerfulness from before died down as one by one everyone turned toward Atem.

Well, so much for not ruining their night.

“Hello,” Atem greeted as he held up a hand to wave.

The frown on Jonouchi’s face disappeared as he stood and said, “Hey, you’re Atem, right? Did you eat anything today? Come on over and have a drink with us.”

Atem hesitated for a moment before joining the gang sitting at the table. He took a seat between Jonouchi and Shizuka. His arms pressed against his sides as he gripped his knees with his hands. Hopefully hearing all their beating hearts so close to him didn’t make his stomach growl.

“Hey, relax,” Jonouchi said as he patted Atem rather hard on the back. Atem swallowed the defensive hiss it almost brought to his lips. Jonouchi added, “We’re all friends here, right? At least, we’re going to be if you plan on living here.”

Honda nodded from the other side of the bar and said, “First drink’s on me. What would you like?”

“I don’t drink,” Atem mumbled. At least, not anything you serve, he thought.

Shizuka said beside him, “I don’t drink alcohol either, but Honda makes an excellent cup of tea.”

Honda’s cheeks flushed, and Atem picked up the rapid beating of his heart. He let out a nervous laugh and said, “Oh, I don’t know if it’s all that great.”

“Don’t be so modest,” Otogi spoke up. “I haven’t met anyone yet who could make Shizuka drink tea like you. Believe me, I’ve tried.”

“Well, you gotta be careful with your water heat,” Honda replied, his chest suddenly puffing up with pride. “If you make the tea too hot, it’ll burn the leaves, and if you let it sit too long, the tea will get bitter-”

“Yeah, we get it. You’re good at tea science,” Otogi said. The comment made Honda’s eye twitch, and Otogi laughed. “Don’t go blowing the secret, or someone might steal Shizuka's favor from you.”

“You wouldn’t-”

“I didn’t say it’d be me.”

Honda caught Atem’s eye. Atem stiffened under his gaze. A protective narrowing of Honda’s eye caught Atem’s voice in his throat. Did he say something to offend him?

“Lay off him, will ya,” Mai spoke up. “He’s not going to try and steal your girl from you, trust me.”

“And how would you know?” Honda asked, but the bitterness in his voice disappeared.

Mai gave a wink to Atem over Shizuka’s shoulder before she replied, “I don’t think she’s his type.”

Atem stiffened. What the heck was that supposed to mean? Was she hinting that because he was a vampire that he wouldn’t find romance with a human, or-

“Oh, I get it,” Jonouchi said from beside Atem and elbowed him in the shoulder. Atem did growl that time, but it was low enough that Jonouchi didn’t hear it. Get what? What joke was he missing out on? Atem opened his mouth to speak, but Honda interrupted him.

“So, what brings you to Domino anyway? We don’t usually get new people settling here. They always want to be closer to the beach.”

Honda poured a cup of tea and pushed it in Atem’s direction. Atem stared inside the cup and watched the green liquid swirl back and forth. Wait, was he supposed to drink it? He did say no thank you, didn’t he? He looked up at Honda, who watched him with an eager expression. Oh, he did expect Atem to drink it.

Great.

Mai watched Atem out of the corner of her eye. Obviously, she knew what drinking the tea would do to him, and she looked ready to speak up, but she didn’t want to raise suspicion to what he was. Everyone else seemed to have eyes on him as well. Was it customary in Japan to watch people as they drank tea? He sighed. Better get this over with before he somehow insulted them and they refused to speak to him again.

Atem rose the cup to his lips. The hot liquid burned him like acid. It tasted like bile. After forcing his body to swallow, Atem shivered and set the cup down on the table. He could feel his insides burning from the contact. If his displeasure showed, Honda didn’t notice. The liquid hit Atem’s stomach, and it lurched unhappily.

“Well,” Atem answered Honda to try and distract himself from the inner turmoil of his digestive system, “I wanted a fresh start. The home I resided in was not kind to someone like me.”

A sadness swept over the table, and Atem hesitated. Were they pitying him? It almost angered him. He didn’t want their pity. A hand touched his back, and he looked over to catch Shizuka rubbing small circles around his spine.

“It’s okay,” she said. “You’re safe here, no matter what you are.”

For some reason, when Shizuka spoke to him, Atem felt at peace. While she was not gifted in charisma or empathy like Seto or Mokuba, something about her presence was like a warm blanket on a rainy day.

Atem nodded his head and genuinely smiled. “Thank you.”

“So, where did you move from, if you don’t mind me asking?” Otogi asked.

“He said he was from Egypt,” Jonouchi answered for him.

Honda whistled. “Wow, Egypt. That’s a pretty far way away. You must’ve really wanted to get away from it all to settle somewhere like here.”

“I haven’t lived in Egypt for quite some time,” Atem admitted. “I’ve moved around quite a lot actually. My previous homes included Canada, Switzerland, the United States, Venezuela, and Morocco.”

“Wow, a world traveler,” Mai mused. “What made you pick Japan, especially here of all places?”

“A friend asked me.”

“Aww, that’s so nice,” Shizuka said. “I bet you two are close if it made you decide to live here.”

“We are indeed,” Atem said and let a smile rise on his face. “He’s practically my family at this rate.”

Otogi asked, “Then why not stay with him?”

That seemed to strike a chord in Atem, and Jonouchi elbowed Otogi in the gut.

“You idiot. You can’t just ask people questions like that,” Jonouchi growled.

“No, it’s a fair question,” Atem replied. The group silenced and awaited his answer. Atem swallowed. He gripped his knees with his hands and stared at them. How did he tell them that he didn’t want to put Mokuba and Seto in danger by staying at their house without raising suspicion? They already seemed to care about him a great deal already, though he would never understand how they trusted a stranger so easily.

“You don’t have to answer it if you don’t want to,” Honda replied. “Your business is your business. Besides, that’s friendship level two, and we’re barely on level one right now.”

Atem perked his head up at that and caught Honda’s welcoming smile. He blinked. “You consider me a friend?”

“Sure, why not?” Jonouchi said beside him. “Seems like you could use a few of them right now.”

Friend. Friends. The word tingled in the back of Atem’s mind. He didn’t want friends. He wanted to be alone in his little quiet house on the hill. However, he couldn’t say that out loud, not after they’d been so kind to him. Besides, being their friend might tell him something about Yugi, though he supposed they wouldn’t tell him right away. And perhaps if he befriended them, they'd become a reliable food source in the future.

He had to try and reach this so-called friendship level two.

“Thank you,” was all Atem could think to say. The smiles all around the table warmed the cool night air. He stared at the tea in his mug and wondered if Honda would be offended if he dumped it out on the ground.

Otogi smiled and said, “Don’t worry about it, Atem. When you live in Domino, you’re practically family. So, you know, if you don’t like tea, you can tell Honda and he'll still love you.”

Atem froze. Was his distaste that obvious?

“Looks like someone dropped the ball on his world-famous tea,” Jonouchi teased.

“Hey, at least I can boil water without burning it,” Honda shot back.

“That was one time!”

“You blew up my kitchen.”

“I told you that old lady distracted me!”

Otogi added, “Sure she did. You just don’t want to admit you were distracted by Kajiki.”

Jonouchi’s cheeks lit up, and he grabbed Otogi’s shirt collar. “I told you, I ain’t attracted to him!”

“Relax,” Otogi said as he held up his hands and laughed. “I was only teasing.”

Honda spoke up, “I mean, I wouldn’t exactly blame you if you were. He could crush me between his thighs any day.”

That comment seemed to annoy Otogi, and Honda sent a coy smirk his way.

Shizuka started laughing beside Atem, and he glanced over at her. Mai seemed amused by the reaction as well. All Atem could feel was confused. With how informally they spoke to each other, they must’ve known each other for years. Atem should’ve felt like he was intruding, but he found himself curious to learn more.

The group joked around with each other into the late hours of the night until a neighbor shouted for them to be quiet and go to sleep. They eventually parted ways. A small part of Atem was sad to leave them behind, but the promise of meeting up with them again hung in the air and comforted him. He wouldn’t say he liked them yet, but he at least enjoyed their company.

Perhaps Atem could stand the company of a few people for a little while after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! If you're reading this story in one sitting, please take a moment to treat this as a rest stop. You can get up, stretch, get a drink, visit the bathroom, grab a snack, anything you need! Once you return, you can come back and continue reading. Take as long as you need <3
> 
> -Cream


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your patience! I had every intention of updating yesterday, but I took an extra shift in the morning at work, and it was a very mentally taxing day. I even passed out on call with my sister. But! Here it is, and I hope you enjoy it just the same :)
> 
> Content warnings include: consensual blood-drinking, conversations about animal death, feeling ignored, hunger pains, and reference to off-screen sex

As Atem walked up the pathway to his home, he saw a white shadow move in the second-story window once again. At least he knew it was Yugi now. He could see the glowing violet eyes studying him as he came up the path. Atem sent what he hoped was a visible smile. The spirit disappeared from the window as soon as he finished climbing the stairs to the front yard. Atem's feet crunched on something beneath him, and he jumped backward. He stared at the ground. Whatever it was sparkled in the low moonlight and was scattered all over the grass. Ah yes, the glass. He’d have to find a way to clean that up later.

Atem finished traveling to the house and stood at the door. He could feel the coldness of Yugi’s presence on the other side. Was the ghost waiting at the door for him? The thought brought a smile to his lips for some reason, but he pushed it away as quickly as it came. Carefully, Atem moved the door out of his way. He stepped inside and put it back in place in one swift movement. The chill from the door disappeared, almost like Yugi got caught doing something he wasn’t supposed to be doing and fled the scene. Atem chuckled.

“I’m home,” he announced.

Nothing stirred. Atem’s smile slowly slipped off his face. He did see and feel Yugi, didn’t he? Atem took his shoes off and placed them by the door. He stood at the entrance of the home and looked around.

“I’m home,” he tried again. Silence answered him. “Yugi?”

Huh, that was… odd. He was sure with how excited the ghost was to not be alone that he would greet Atem as soon as Atem returned. Wouldn’t he want to know if Atem found something out? Atem moved from the entrance to the living room. The now warmed kotatsu caused heat to penetrate the otherwise chilly room. He sat down on the sofa and waited. And waited. Still, nothing stirred.

“Yugi, are you here?” Atem asked. He waited again for any sort of answer. Why wasn’t Yugi showing himself? Could he hide this well from the vampire? He knew the ghost hid when he first came, but he was certain once he introduced himself that Yugi would show himself more often.

Atem thought to their earlier conversation. Did he upset Yugi somehow by leaving without listening to him? Did Yugi say something that was important before he left? Guilt crept into Atem’s thoughts. While he was eager to live alone, that didn’t give him the right to ignore someone who lived in the house with him. Technically, it was Yugi’s house first.

“I’m sorry if I upset you,” Atem said again. He sighed. “If you are upset with something I said or did, please let me know.”

He waited. And waited. Nothing stirred. Atem sighed through his nose, and he crossed his arms over his chest. Had Yugi somehow found something out and crossed over without Atem’s help? How could he? For all Atem knew, he was stuck in the house for years without any way of crossing over, and-

A thump upstairs made Atem jump. He let out a defensive hiss as he eased his body back into a calm state.

Oh, right. Yugi often disappeared to the second floor of the house.

Still, why wouldn’t Yugi come down if Atem called him? Atem stood from his spot on the sofa and headed toward the stairs. Didn’t Yugi say he’d try to move the boxes from the door so Atem could get in? Perhaps he tired himself out and slipped into that uncertain state he mentioned before.

As Atem got closer and closer to the door, he could hear light choking sounds, like someone was gasping for breath. Atem froze. Was someone in the house? He felt for a pulse but found none. A thought struck him. Perhaps Yugi was crying on the other side and didn’t want to be disturbed. A light sob confirmed his theory.

"Yugi, are you alright?" Atem called out. He strained his hearing.

A sudden wave of dread and fear overtook his senses. Atem no longer felt very welcome. It made his foot take an instinctive step backward. The last thing he wanted to do was intrude on Yugi’s private moment.

"It's alright. I shall leave you in peace until you're ready to rejoin my company."

After traveling back down the stairs, Atem settled himself on the sofa once again. Not wanting to make too much noise but still needing something to do, he pulled out a deck of cards and shuffled them in his hands. Slowly, the unease he felt started to disappear. Something about idly shuffling cards in his hands always calmed him.

Still, he kept an ear out for a certain spirit just in case Yugi needed something or he rejoined him downstairs.

Atem set the cards down on the table and started to play a game. He figured it’d pass enough time until Yugi calmed down and decided to join him once again. That was if Yugi decided to join him. Yugi might be embarrassed thinking Atem stepped in on a private moment. He’d have to assure Yugi that he would not intentionally impede the spirit’s privacy.

Atem flipped over three cards from the deck, and he began his game.

After winning two games and almost winning a third game, Atem felt the cold presence of Yugi return to the first floor. He paused and looked up from the cards laying before him.

“Yugi?” he called out. The cold grew a little stronger. Still, Yugi’s form didn’t make a physical appearance. Atem tried again. “Yugi?”

“Oh, you’re home,” came Yugi’s cheerful reply. “Welcome home, Atem.”

Huh, whatever upset Yugi sounded like it worked it's way out of the ghost's system. Atem smiled and nodded his head. He said, “I’ve been home for quite some time.”

“Oh,” came Yugi’s reply. The cheerfulness ebbed a tiny bit, but Yugi brought it back as he continued, “Did you get to meet anyone?”

“I did,” Atem confirmed. He looked around. Why wasn’t Yugi showing himself? Atem kept the question in the back of his mind as he continued, “I conversed with five people from the town that I met when I first came to Domino. Jonouchi, Shizuka, Honda, Otogi, and Mai. Do any of those names sound familiar, well besides Mai?”

A pause settled between them. Atem could practically feel Yugi searching for anything in his memories of the mentioned names.

“I do remember one name,” Yugi mumbled. “Jonouchi. He came around a lot to comfort my grandpa. He was always so angry when he walked into the house. It was kind of scary.”

Atem recalled how angry Jonouchi got when Atem asked what happened to Yugi. Did he somehow know and not want to tell anyone what happened? Atem would have to work on getting Jonounchi to tell him whatever he could.

“Anyone else?” Atem asked.

Another pause stopped the conversation before Yugi finally answered, “No, I’m sorry.”

“No apology is necessary. You did nothing wrong.”

He could feel Yugi’s soul grow closer to him as the chill in the air intensified, but the ghost was nowhere to be seen. Atem was about to open his mouth to speak again when his stomach growled rather loudly. He bit his bottom lip to hide his embarrassment.

“Are you hungry?” Yugi asked.

“I,” Atem paused, “it appears so.”

“I’m not sure any of the food that was in the house is still good,” Yugi mused. Atem felt the spirit leave his side. “Still, there might be some instant ramen packets hiding in some of the drawers. Do you know how to cook? I don’t really remember how, but I might remember if I start doing it again.”

Atem chuckled and said. “I don’t eat solid foods like humans, Yugi.”

He could feel Yugi’s pause as the spirit stopped in his tracks. Yugi’s voice was barely a whisper as he said, “Oh, that’s right. You’re a vampire.”

“I am indeed. Do you remember what I said I needed in order to survive?”

Yugi hesitated before he answered, “Blood.”

“Correct.”

“I’m sorry, but I think we’re fresh out.”

Atem lightly laughed again. He let out a sigh before he replied, “I figured as much. If I want to feed, I either need to find a willing human or an animal.”

Another long pause settled between them, and a chill ran up Atem’s spine. He turned his head, hoping to see Yugi behind him, but the spirit was nowhere to be found. His brow rose in confusion.

“Is that why you killed that fish?” Yugi asked.

“That fish- you mean the fish that I fed from out in the pond?” Atem tried to sense what Yugi was feeling but couldn’t pinpoint it. “Yes, that’s why I fed from the fish in the pond. Did it upset you?”

The chill in the room intensified again. Atem caught the flicker of Yugi’s form by the front door, and he turned his full attention to it. However, as soon as it came, it disappeared. What was going on?

Yugi spoke, “It did. I remember watching you do it from the doorway, and I got so… so angry. And that’s when I slammed the door closed.”

“Oh, so that was you.”

“Yeah. Sorry about that.”

“Don’t be. I apologize once again for breaking your front door.”

“It shouldn’t have made me mad. I know that grandpa used to eat fish all the time, usually raw just like you, but for some reason, watching you eat that fish made me mad. I don’t know why.”

“I’m sure when your grandfather ate fish, he wasn’t killing it in front of your very eyes.”

“No, it was always already dead.”

“Watching something die is a lot different than it already being dead. I’m sure now that you’re a spirit, you can sense the souls of living things, and that includes when the soul leaves the body. Seeing the fish’s soul ascend may have disturbed you.”

“Maybe,” Yugi mumbled.

Atem paused for a moment before he said, “Yugi, I cannot see you.”

“You can’t?” Yugi asked.

“I cannot. Where are you?”

“I’m by the front door.”

Atem focused on the doorway. He still couldn’t see Yugi, but his senses picked up something was over at the door. Part of him wondered if it had to do with him being in a bloodlust state last night, but if that were true, why could he see Yugi before he left to visit his… the other residents of Domino, but not now?

Yugi voiced his thoughts, “I don’t know why you can’t see me.”

“I’m uncertain as well-” Atem’s stomach growling interrupted him. He let out a frustrated growl and bit his lip. “It may have something to do with my hunger.”

“Oh. Well… you should get something to eat then.”

Again, Yugi’s form appeared for a split second then disappeared. Atem narrowed his eyes. If his theory was correct, Yugi shouldn’t be flickering in and out of existence like that, should he? He should be completely invisible.

“Yugi, are you feeling tired at all?” Atem asked.

“Actually, I think I slept when you went out. I remember watching you from the window, and then the next moment, you were down here with the card game.”

Atem stroked his chin with his fingers. With neither of them knowing much about ghosts or how they worked, this would be an interesting learning experience for both of them. Atem’s phone felt heavy in his pocket. Perhaps he could find something about ghosts on the internet to try and solve this. Atem pulled his phone out and started to search. As he did so, he felt Yugi’s cold presence beside him.

The phone screen glitched. Atem watched the phone’s brightness increase and decrease by itself like a human pulse. As it did so, he caught Yugi’s form flickering in and out of existence. His head turned to get a better look. If Yugi knew what was happening, he didn’t seem to notice.

“What’s it say?” Yugi asked. Atem could see his purple eyes light up with curiosity.

Atem turned his attention back to the phone. The battery level on the top bar started slowly going down. The lower it went, the more opaque Yugi became. Atem glanced at the first search result and read the link.

Ghosts and energy.

Oh.

“Yugi, you know how I said I needed blood in order to survive?”

“Yeah?”

“I believe you feed off of the energy of things around you. That would explain my hunger in such a short amount of time and why my phone seems to be losing power at an astonishing rate.”

Yugi watched the phone curiously. Atem noticed Yugi’s form stopped flickering and stood at a fully opaque state. At the same time, his phone stopped draining. Seems their theory was correct. Atem hummed. That meant if he didn’t keep Yugi properly fed, he would involuntarily drain the living energy out of him unless Yugi learned how to control it. That was if Yugi could even control it.

Atem continued, “You appear to be completely visible now.”

Yugi looked down at his hands to confirm Atem’s theory. He flexed and unflexed his fingers, and his violet eyes glowed in the dark.

“How do you feel?” Atem asked.

“Actually,” Yugi said and turned his attention back to Atem, “I feel a lot better than I did before.”

“That’s good to hear.” Atem sighed. “However, if your body is feeding off of my life force, that’s going to be a bit of a problem for me. We’ll have to see if I can invest in an electrical source to keep your body’s hunger satisfied.”

Yugi nodded his head and continued to look himself over. Atem started to pick up more things about Yugi’s appearance. His clothes, which covered most of his body, were pitch black and completely obstructed the area behind it, unlike his translucent white skin, which merely looked like he tried to look through fog. A thick black strap ran over his neck. Atem focused on it. If he looked closely, he could see a strange discoloration around the edges.

“Yugi,” Atem started. The ghost looked up at him and waited for Atem to continue. “What are you wearing on your neck?”

Yugi tilted his head to the side. He looked down, obviously unable to see it, and said, “I don’t really know.”

“Does it hurt?”

“I… don’t know either. I can’t really feel.”

“Ah, that’s right. I apologize.”

“No, don’t be sorry. It was a good question. In a few of my grandpa’s pictures, I was wearing it, but sometimes I wasn’t. I think maybe it was like an accessory of some kind that I liked to wear in my past life.”

“Do you mind it?”

“Mind it?” Yugi blinked. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, does the… leather strap make you feel anything uncomfortable?”

Yugi’s brows knitted together as he thought. His fingers involuntarily brushed up against it and disappeared as soon as he touched it. His eyes glowed in intensity before they returned to their normal state. At last, Yugi replied, “No, I don’t think so, but it… I know I don’t like touching it.”

The answer for some reason didn’t sit well with Atem. It resembled a collar too much for his liking. A small part of him wondered if it had anything to do with Yugi’s death. The ghost’s blue lips hinted that Yugi was suffocated, and the discoloration around the collar could support that theory.

The thought of Yugi struggling to breathe angered Atem, but he swallowed it back down. There was no use getting upset about the unknown.

“Why?” Yugi asked.

Atem opened his mouth to answer, but his stomach interrupted him once again. This time, it sent a shooting pain through his abdominal area. He clenched his teeth and let out a low growl.

Yugi put a cold hand on his shoulder as he asked, “Atem, are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Just hungry,” Atem responded.

“You should get something to eat.”

Atem studied the ghost before he sighed and looked down at his card game. He hated leaving games unfinished, but he feared if he was hungry now that he wouldn’t make it until tomorrow night to feed again. He’d have to return to Tokyo and get another donor, and this time, he’d be feeding there.

Yugi asked, “Before you go, though, can you tell me what card game you’re playing?”

Atem’s eyes glanced up at Yugi, who studied the card game in front of him, a curious light shining in his eyes.

“ _Patience_ ,” Atem answered in nearly perfect French.

“Oh. What’s that?”

“It’s a card game that I was taught many years ago by a French man. I believe they call it Solitaire here, but I’m not sure.”

Yugi tilted his head to the side and said, “I never heard of it either way.”

Atem’s eyes glanced from the card game to Yugi, and he asked, “Would you like me to teach you how to play?”

“Shouldn’t you get something to eat first?”

“I can teach you how to play in a short time. Then, once I leave, not only can you practice moving physical objects at your own will, but you can also play in my place.”

A smile spread across Yugi’s face as he answered, “Okay!”

Atem smiled as well. He gathered the cards together into a deck and started shuffling. As he did so, he explained, “There are several ways to play, but the object of this version of the game is to get all the cards in the same suit, starting with the ace then ending with the king.”

“I see,” Yugi said as he leaned over the table. He watched Atem place one card face up, then start another row, putting one face down and the next one face up. Atem repeated this as he moved along, increasing the number of face-down cards by one for each row until he reached seven rows. Then, Atem put the remaining cards in a pile at the top and glanced back up at Yugi.

“Usually you play with three cards at a time, but since you’re just starting, we’ll play one at a time. In the three-card version, you can only move the top card. This version of the game relies a little more on skill than luck, so anyone ideally can play and win with the right strategy.”

Yugi nodded his head in understanding.

Atem picked up the ace of hearts sitting at the top of the pile and placed it off to the side. “This is where you’ll put the card suits when you pick them up. The order goes ace, two, three, all the way up to ten, jack, queen, then king. Once you get the king, that suit is finished. Once you finish all four suits, you win.”

“Sounds easy enough.”

Atem smirked. “Well, the hard part comes with the rules. You can only put a black card on a red card and vice versa, and the cards have to be one step lower than the first one. For example, you can only put a red nine on a black ten, and you can only put a black eight on a red nine. The luck part comes with not knowing what cards are hidden on the tableau columns. You have to hope the card you need isn’t hidden, or else you won’t be able to make any more moves.”

Yugi nodded his head once again in understanding. Step by step, Atem continued to run Yugi through the game. Every once in a while, Atem would allow Yugi to move a card on his own, and he’d explain whether it was a good move or not. The longer they played, the harder it was for Yugi to pick up the cards. Frustration started to line his brow. Atem felt his phone buzz in his pocket, warning him the battery was low. His own stomach growled as well, reminding him he had to eat.

Halfway through the game, Atem monitored the night. He sighed and shook his head.

“You’re doing well, Yugi, but I’m afraid I have to go. If I don’t go soon, I won’t be back in time for the sun’s rise, and if that happens-”

“Oh! Please, go,” Yugi said as he looked up at him with an understanding nod of his head. “I’m sure I can manage the game by myself now.”

The optimistic smile brought one to Atem’s lips as well. He stood, grabbed the umbrella Mokuba gifted him just in case, and headed to the front door. Before he left, however, he plugged his phone into an outlet and set it beside the table.

“I’m going to leave this here,” Atem said. “That way, you can feed off the phone’s energy while I’m gone.”

“Won’t you need that if you run into trouble though?”

Atem let out a low laugh as he replied, “Not many things want to mess with a vampire, Yugi.”

“Oh,” Yugi blinked and nodded his head with a grateful smile. “Thank you.”

“It’s no trouble at all.”

Yugi turned back to the game and said, “Be safe.”

“I will do my best.” Atem headed to the front door and stepped outside. He sent one last glance back at Yugi before leaving the house and heading toward his destination.

* * *

Atem bit into the wrist of the young man underneath him. He felt them squirm a slight bit, but they relaxed soon after. The longer Atem fed, the more relaxed they came. He glanced up every once and a while to make sure the human wasn't losing consciousness from blood loss. The man’s face was still flushed, so Atem assumed he was still doing well.

The longer he fed, the heavier Atem felt his stomach become. He didn’t realize how hungry he was until he bit into the flesh below him. If he wasn’t careful, he’d lose his will to blood lust. He had to keep monitoring the boy’s state. He couldn’t let his mind go numb. The longer he fed, the harder it became, but Atem was determined not to go too far.

A light knock on the door stilled Atem’s movements. He looked over his shoulder and let out a low, protective hiss. However, he swallowed his pride down and called out, “Come in.”

The young girl who took reservations, who he learned was named Miho, opened the door, covering her eyes with her hand. She said, “Excuse the interruption, but Osaki requested to be home by four in the morning, and if he wants to do that-”

“I understand,” Atem answered with a slight nod. Miho smiled before she closed the door.

Atem turned his attention back to the man’s wrists. He began to lick the wound closed. The man, Osaki, shook his head and tried to push his wrists toward Atem’s teeth once again, but Atem shoved it away.

“Please,” Osaki said below him, “Please continue. It’s alright. I don’t mind.”

Atem shook his head and replied, “A promise is a promise, Osaki. You may consent to more blood loss, but I don’t consent to taking anymore.”

The human seemed at war with themselves, but eventually he gave in and let Atem seal the wound. Atem helped Osaki sit up and steadied his balance. He asked, “Would you like me to walk you home?”

Osaki shook his head. “My sister is coming by to pick me up.”

“Of course.” Atem nodded his head and moved to step away, but a hand on his wrist stopped him. He noticed Osaki’s face still flushed, and he raised a brow. “Are you alright?”

“It’s just,” Osaki sighed, “I’ve never been pleasured like that before and I… if you come again, please request me. I’ll even skip the two-week-long waiting period to-”

“I will request you, but we will do it safely,” Atem replied as he handed Osaki his shirt. Osaki lowered his head in disappointment, and Atem brought it back up to look at him. “You are beautiful, and I wouldn’t want to damage someone as lovely as you.”

Osaki’s face flared into a deep blush, and Atem smirked. He may not be skilled in charm like Seto, but he learned a thing or two from observing the way his cousin spoke to people. Of course, it could still be the aphrodisiac running through the man’s system making him this easy to speak to, but Atem would count his victories when he could. It was still, after all, his own doing that Osaki reacted to him like this.

Atem helped Osaki stand and weave his belt back through his pants. He walked the young man through the doors and headed toward the front of the shop. Miho made sure Atem paid for his meal and bid them goodbye as they exited the doors.

True to Osaki’s word, his sister was waiting for him at the door. She looked at Atem and gave a knowing smile.

“So, this is the boy who asked you out on a date?” she asked.

Date? Atem blinked. He eyed Osaki out of the corner of his eye, who wouldn’t meet his eye. Atem hesitated before he put on a smile and bowed. “Yes, it’s nice to meet you.”

“You too,” she said and smiled. She winked and said, “I hope he didn’t give you too much trouble.”

“Oh, it was no trouble at all. In fact, I’m the one who was honored Osaki joined my company tonight.”

The blush on her brother’s face made the girl laugh, and she nodded her head. “I hope to see you in the future.”

“And you as well.” Atem raised his hand and waved as the two headed down the street. He could still hear the girl teasing her brother about how cute Atem was. He sighed and shook his head. Part of him would give anything to have a relationship like that with someone again, but the other part of him knew better. Nothing good ever came from creating relationships with people, platonic or romantic. He headed in the other direction down the street and toward Domino.

Hopefully Yugi didn’t tire himself out too much playing the card game.

A chill ran up Atem’s spine. He paused in the middle of the street, causing a few people walking past him to give him a dirty look. His head spun around. From what he could see, no one was paying attention to him. So, why did he feel like he was being watched?

Atem turned and walked a little faster toward his home. The farther he walked, the farther that feeling fled from him as well. As Atem’s scenery transitioned from Tokyo to the backstreets that would lead him to Domino, the feeling disappeared completely.

Hopefully whatever watched him was gone now.

The streets of Domino were quiet as Atem headed toward his home. He stepped on the glass outside of his house once again, mentally reminding himself to pick it up later, and opened the front door.

“I’m home,” he called out.

“Welcome back,” Yugi called out.

Atem caught sight of the ghost still sitting on the sofa and hunched over the game. He removed his shoes and headed to Yugi’s side. From what he could see, Yugi was at a stalemate.

“I haven’t won a single game since you left,” Yugi mumbled.

Atem chuckled and sat down beside him. “That’s quite alright. Sometimes the cards choose not to deal us a good hand.”

Yugi looked up at him before he returned to the game. “Do you see any way I could win?”

Atem studied the game before he said, “Flip over the next card in your stock.”

Yugi did as he was told. He continued again and again as Atem asked him to draw the next card. As he flipped over one in particular, Atem stopped him.

“That card can go on the red six here, and then you can pull this red four from this card pile.”

Yugi’s eyes lit up as he did what he was told. The next card he revealed in the column was the exact one he needed. He let out a light triumphant laugh and beamed, “Thank you, Atem!”

Atem couldn’t help but smile back. Yugi’s smile was contagious, it seemed. He replied, “You’re quite welcome.”

Yugi continued the game as Atem watched over his shoulder. The sun started to peer over the mountainside as Yugi flipped his last card. For a moment, he stared down at the piles of cards below him, unsure of what to do.

“You win,” Atem said, drawing Yugi out of his trance.

“I did?”

“Yes. See here? This card will go down to the black nine, then you can overturn your last card on the tableau. After that, you’ll be able to put each card on their correct suit until all four suits are together again.

“Really?!”

“Yes.”

Yugi moved the cards to their respective spots. A happy cry echoed around the room as Yugi put the last king on the pile. Briefly, the light in the kitchen flickered to life. “I did it!”

Atem nodded. “Well done, Yugi.”

Without thinking, Yugi wrapped his arms around Atem’s shoulders. Yugi’s chill shook Atem to the core. Atem’s eyes lit up red, and he let out a surprised hiss. Yugi removed his arms instantly and held them up in a defensive position.

“I’m sorry! I should’ve asked,” Yugi hurried to say.

“It’s alright,” Atem replied. He let out a long sigh and rubbed his hand over his face. “I was just surprised is all.”

“I won’t do that again, I promise.”

Atem hesitated before he replied, “Just ask me next time is all.”

“Okay, I understand.”

Atem studied Yugi for a moment, noting how the spirit’s shoulders drooped and his eyes refused to look up and meet Atem’s own. Guilt borrowed its way into his heart, but Atem pushed it back. He had boundaries for a reason.

After a moment, he said, “Thank you, Yugi. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to get some rest.”

Yugi’s eyes glanced up as he said, “Oh, I’m sorry! I wasn’t able to move the boxes from the door to get the futon.”

“It’s quite alright. I’m comfortable on the sofa anyway.” Atem settled down under the futon and rested his head on the cushion. He let his eyes slip closed and sighed in content.

“I’ll try again tomorrow,” Yugi told him.

“As you wish,” Atem mumbled back.

“Good night, Atem.”

“Good night, Yugi.”

“I hope you sleep well.”

The sentiment caused Atem to open one eye and peer up at the spirit. He flashed a smile before he replied, “Thank you.”

It didn’t take long for the vampire to drift off into another dreamless sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I would appreciate any feedback, positive or constructive, that anyone has to offer. Again this story should update every Friday until it's finished. I hope to see you then!
> 
> -Cream


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